Republicans on Hunt for Alternate National Convention Site

The Republican National Committee is actively looking at alternative sites for its nominating convention in August, as a feud with Democratic officials in Charlotte, N.C., where the convention has long been planned, intensifies.

The New York Times reports that officials are planning to visit Nashville this week. Other cities under consideration, according to a Republican official cited by the news organization, include Las Vegas, Orlando, Jacksonville and sites in Georgia.

President Donald Trump and other Republican officials have been pressing North Carolina for reassurances that they can hold a large-scale, traditional convention, without the burdens imposed by masks and social distancing. But with virus cases growing in North Carolina and hospitalizations still climbing, Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, wrote in a letter to Republican officials on Tuesday that “the people of North Carolina do not know what the status of COVID-19 will be in August, so planning for a scaled-down convention with fewer people, social distancing and face coverings is a necessity.”

The dispute has been at the fore amid ongoing debates over when and how to reopen parts of the country following pandemic shutdowns.

On Tuesday, The Times reported, Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman of the RNC, let North Carolina officials know there was a strong possibility the event would be moved.