The state’s health department is asking the Republican Party for a plan on how it can pull off a 50,000-person event safely.
President Donald Trump threatened Monday to pull the Republican National Convention out of North Carolina if state officials don’t roll out the red carpet soon.
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In a letter to Marcia Kelly, the president and CEO of the convention, North Carolina secretary of Health and Human Services Mandy Cohen acknowledged the president’s warning and requested a public health plan for the event.
“The status of Covid-19 infections in our state and in the Charlotte area continues to rapidly evolve [so] it will be important to have several scenarios planned that can be deployed depending on the public health situation,” she wrote. “[M]easured and careful planning efforts are important not only to convention-goers, but also to the North Carolinians who rely on us to protect the public’s health.”
The missive came as Republicans held conference calls Tuesday to decide how to proceed with plans for the convention. People familiar with the discussions said an array of options were considered, including holding the event in a different state. The three most frequently mentioned states include Florida, Texas and Georgia, all of which have Republican governors. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp have said they would welcome the convention.
But Republicans involved in convention planning say there remains strong interest in holding the event in North Carolina, a critical swing state. They also acknowledge privately that switching the venue would pose major logistical challenges.
Nothing was decided, and one senior Republican called the situation “a mess.” Indeed, the twin developments in North Carolina and Washington signal a difficult stretch for the GOP as it tries to navigate Trump’s insistence on a full-blown convention with public health concerns on the ground.
Cohen, Kelly and Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper discussed the convention during a Friday conference call, according to the letter — a positive sign for proponents of keeping the convention in North Carolina. But the two sides aren’t close to agreement on what modifications might be needed because of the coronavirus.
Fueling the GOP’s angst is a perception that Cooper is unlikely to lift restrictions to accommodate them. With cases rising in the Charlotte area, Republicans say they’re skeptical that the Democratic governor will allow a mass gathering.
North Carolina on May 22 entered the second phase of its reopening strategy, which still bars indoor gatherings of more than 10 people. Moreover, the state health department reported its largest spike in cases over Memorial Day weekend, threatening to push North Carolinians back inside for another weeks-long stay-at-home order.
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President Trump says he may "have no choice" but to pull the Republican National Convention out of North Carolina if state officials don’t roll out the red carpet soon https://t.co/QLUoMnpJNI pic.twitter.com/e2mltSpVEc
— POLITICO (@politico) May 27, 2020
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