{"id":343,"date":"2020-05-28T15:32:12","date_gmt":"2020-05-28T19:32:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wfae.report\/insidepolitics\/?p=343"},"modified":"2020-06-01T11:18:26","modified_gmt":"2020-06-01T15:18:26","slug":"moving-the-rnc-cities-arent-raising-their-hands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wfae.report\/insidepolitics\/moving-the-rnc-cities-arent-raising-their-hands\/","title":{"rendered":"Moving The RNC? Cities Aren’t Raising Their Hands"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Coverage of the 2016 Republican National Convention from the Convention Center in Cleveland, Ohio. (ABC\/ Fred Watkins)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There are 88 days until the scheduled start of the Republican National Convention in Charlotte.<\/p>\n

Or should we say in Atlanta, Jacksonville, or Orlando?<\/p>\n

In this episode of Inside Politics, we will look at President Trump\u2019s tweets and comments about possibly moving the convention, which were backed up by Vice President Mike Pence.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The president gave Gov. Roy Cooper an ultimatum on Twitter. He said Cooper, a Democrat, is in a \u201cShutdown Mood\u201d and that Republicans \u201cmust be immediately given an answer \u2026 as to whether or not the space (The Spectrum Center) will be allowed to be fully occupied.\u201d<\/p>\n

If the state doesn\u2019t give the GOP that assurance, Trump said, \u201cwe will be reluctantly forced to find another site.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pence agreed. Speaking on “Fox & Friends,” he said, \u201cWe all want to be in Charlotte. We love North Carolina. But having a sense now is absolutely essential because of the immense preparations that are involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Vice President Mike Pence said Monday that Florida, Georgia and Texas could host the Republican National Convention<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But he said Republicans are prepared to move \u201cthe national convention to a state that\u2019s farther along in reopening.\u201d<\/p>\n

He mentioned Georgia, Texas, and Florida as states that could host the convention. The next day, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis raised their hands.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re going to unpack all of this.<\/p>\n

What are the chances another city would take all — or part — of the RNC? Could any other place give the president the assurances he\u2019s asked North Carolina Gov. Cooper for? Could the city of Charlotte be stuck with millions of dollars in unreimbursed security expenses?<\/p>\n

And what happens to the $70 million the local host committee is responsible for raising in the event the RNC moves, or if the convention is only a fraction of what was promised?<\/p>\n

First, let\u2019s look at the state of reopening in North Carolina that seems to have gotten the president upset. We are in Phase 2, which means no more than 10 people can gather inside at one time. That\u2019s supposed to last until at least June 26.<\/p>\n

In an interview with WFAE last week<\/a>, North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen said that if the number of coronavirus cases in the state continues to go up mass gatherings are going to be a big challenge.<\/p>\n

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North Carolina’s Secretary of Health and Human Services, Mandy Cohen, has asked the Republican National Committee for a written plan about how it can hold the convention safely.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe know just from looking at the evidence that these mass gatherings are places where a lot of people come together,\u201d she said. \u201cThat is a recipe for viral spread, right? Particularly when you are indoors and you are close together for longer periods of time. And I\u2019m describing the Spectrum Center. And that\u2019s challenging. I think it\u2019s too early to say what does that really mean.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her advice for the Republican National Committee is “hope for the best, and plan for the worst.” And she said her team has been in contact with those organizing the convention.<\/p>\n

Cohen released a letter she sent last week to Marcia Lee Kelly, the CEO of the convention, asking for a written safety plan for the convention, as well as for the GOP to plan out different scenarios.<\/p>\n

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Here is an excerpt from Cohen’s letter to the Marcia Lee Kelly, chief executive with the RNC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On Tuesday, Cooper refused to answer whether the RNC can go on as planned. He said we don\u2019t know what situation we\u2019ll be in three months from now.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will say that it\u2019s OK for political conventions to be political, but pandemic response cannot be,\u201d Cooper said.<\/p>\n

Following Cooper\u2019s press conference, Trump when pressed came up with a deadline to hear from the governor.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I\u2019d say within a week that certainly we have to know,\u201d Trump said. \u201cNow, if he can\u2019t do it, if he feels that he\u2019s not going to do it all, he has to do is tell us and we\u2019ll have to pick another location and I will tell you a lot of locations want it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is this all bluster — a way to blame the need for a smaller convention on a Democratic governor — or could a city in another state promise a full-scale convention now?<\/p>\n

There are two ways to look at this — public health and political will.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at the three states that Pence mentioned as states that have reopened quickly – Texas, Georgia and Florida.<\/p>\n

The governors of Georgia and Florida have offered to hold the RNC, but it comes down to city leaders to make that call — and no city in those states bid on hosting the RNC in 2018. In fact, no other city besides Charlotte bid on hosting the convention at all.<\/p>\n

In Georgia, Atlanta is a Democratic enclave. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said she\u2019s opposed to hosting. That leaves … Savannah? Macon? It\u2019s unlikely they could stage even a convention that attracts 10,000 people, much less 50,000.<\/p>\n

In Texas, state Republican leaders have said they want to host.<\/p>\n

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The chief tourism official in Dallas, Texas said no city could give the RNC an assurance it could have a full arena.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But Craig Davis, the CEO of the Dallas tourism bureau, said it\u2019s difficult to pull off a political convention in normal times on such short notice.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot one city in Texas could give assurance to the RNC about our ability to pack an arena or to maintain social distancing or anything like that in this post-COVID world,\u201d he said. \u201cWe simply don\u2019t have direction from any of our agencies that would otherwise be giving that type of permission to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Davis continued: \u201cAny convention that we have in the future in the near term won\u2019t be the same size as it was originally booked for so I don\u2019t believe the RNC or DNC would be any different. So we don\u2019t think we\u2019d be able to have full capacity under the current conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n

That suggests that Dallas is out. And even though Texas is a red state, almost all of its major cities have Democratic mayors: Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio.<\/p>\n

And even though the response to the virus is supposed to be apolitical, the two political parties see reopening differently.<\/p>\n

Florida is similar to Texas. It\u2019s a red state \u2013 or reddish state \u2013 but it\u2019s major cities have lots of Democratic voters, like Orlando, Tampa and Miami. They have made no noises about hosting.<\/p>\n

Jacksonville, however, has raised its hand. It has a Republican mayor and a Republican City Council. The mayor, Lenny Curry, said he\u2019d be honored to host the RNC.<\/p>\n

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Jacksonville, Fla. mayor Lenny Curry wants to host the RNC.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But Republican council member, Matt Carlucci, is concerned about moving too quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I was in administrative leadership or if this comes before council, I\u2019d really want to talk to a lot of health specialists and get as much information as I could before I started packing thousands and thousands of people into a small arena,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Jacksonville has hosted a Super Bowl, so it could do something that large. But Gov. DeSantis\u2019s offer did come with a caveat … as best we can under whatever safety requirements are in place.<\/p>\n

The dynamic today is similar to 2018. Before awarding the convention, to Charlotte, the GOP was trying to drum up interest in another city trying to host the convention. That\u2019s when the Nevada Republican Party said it could bring the convention to Las Vegas \u2013 even though the city, county and tourism authority there weren\u2019t involved.<\/p>\n

And behind the scenes, the New York Times has reported, the White House is looking at the possibility of a pared-down convention. Even Trump, it reports, has asked aides why it can\u2019t be held in a hotel ballroom in Florida, given the health concerns. Although the president later said on Twitter the hotel ballroom idea was “fake news.”<\/p>\n

What\u2019s going to make this difficult is there\u2019s no way that North Carolina can assure the GOP the convention can move forward as they want. Based on the trends here, we are arguably in worse shape than Georgia and Florida, with hospitalizations and cases going up.<\/p>\n

There has been a lot of talk about whether the GOP can move the convention. Does the contract with the city allow the event to be moved?<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t. But: The GOP could argue that Cooper\u2019s rules won\u2019t allow the convention to move forward.<\/p>\n

Right now under Phase 2, the state only allows for inside gatherings of 10 people, at the most. But Phase 2 rules do allow for the Spectrum Center to stage made-for-TV events like a sporting event or a concert. And all of the people who would be required to put that event on \u2013 athletes or performers or tech crew \u2013 would be exempt from that 10-person mass gathering limit.<\/p>\n

We wondered what that meant for delegates. Would RNC delegates count as spectators and be subject to any limit on mass gatherings? Or would they be considered essential?<\/p>\n

\u201cThat would be a spectator,\u201d Cohen said. \u201cIn my mind. They\u2019d be sitting in sort of spectator parts of the Spectrum Center. And I think these details that we would work out with the RNC, but yes, they are spectators.\u201d<\/p>\n

So under Phase 2, you can have more people at a swimming pool than you could have delegates at the RNC. And those limits extend until June 26, though that could be moved up or extended.<\/p>\n

What would happen if the convention left? Would the city sue the RNC and force them to come? Or would the reaction be good riddance?<\/p>\n

There was a recent 6-5 vote on whether to accept the city\u2019s $50 million federal security grant. The council members who voted no did so as a protest vote.<\/p>\n

City Council member Malcolm Graham voted in favor of accepting the money but said he would not try and make the RNC stay in Charlotte.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can speak for myself — I won\u2019t,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause my concern is public health \u2013 not appeasing the president.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Charlotte City Council member Malcolm Graham said he would not try to convince the RNC to stay.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For Mayor Vi Lyles, the convention has been a headache for two years — first because of the blowback over agreeing to host, and now the pandemic. She is taking a very neutral approach in her public comments. She said public health will determine whether the convention moves forward.<\/p>\n

What if the RNC chooses to hold a small convention here with only delegates meeting in small groups to formally nominate the president? The president may not even need to come in that case.<\/p>\n

The Charlotte city attorney, Patrick Baker, said that still counts, per the contract.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s nothing in that document that talks about the number of people that have to be here, the number of beds that they are going to take up,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t think there is a reference to the president of the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n

The city has already started spending money on security for the convention. The Department of Justice has agreed to reimburse the city up to $50 million in security costs, which is standard for a convention.<\/p>\n

But what happens if the RNC moves or remains in Charlotte in a diminished state?<\/p>\n

The city said it\u2019s already spending money on buying police equipment for the convention, but, citing security concerns, it won\u2019t stay what. Is it possible that the Justice Department might delay or withhold that money from the city if the president is upset that Charlotte has spurned him?<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we did formally accept (the grant) we were legally entitled to rely on it,\u201d Driggs said. \u201cWe would go to court if they tried to withhold that money.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another important question is, if the convention moves or is scaled back, what happens to the $70 million the local host committee is tasked with raising?<\/p>\n

The local host committee has raised that money for things like building the stage, renting the arena and for transportation. John Lassiter, the president of the local host committee, said he\u2019s raised about $50 million so far.<\/p>\n

Much of that money has been raised on the promise that it\u2019s a way to showcase Charlotte to the world. Lassiter wouldn\u2019t say how much of that $50 million is pledges compared with how much is in the bank.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m not going to discuss how much particularly raised are from who or when,\u201d he said. \u201cSo we’re in a good place for paying our bills. And we’ll continue to raise money and we’re confident we’ll be in the position to put on the convention.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked what would happen to that $70 million if the RNC doesn\u2019t come to Charlotte \u2013 of it holds a scaled-back convention \u2013 Lassiter wouldn\u2019t say.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t speak for the RNC,\u201d he said. \u201cWe work with them to put this convention on. And, you know,\u00a0 we’re going to play the hand we have and put on, as you know, a convention that allows us to showcase our community. To talk about the resiliency that we have, the strength of our businesses, and let the world see.\u201d<\/p>\n

We asked the Republican National Committee that same question this week. What would happen with that money if the convention moved to another state? The RNC didn\u2019t respond.<\/p>\n

Duke Energy is one of those big donors to the host committee. At the company\u2019s annual shareholder meeting earlier this month, CEO Lynn Good said its contribution will be commensurate with other large companies in Charlotte.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe RNC will be a great opportunity to bring economic development to our headquarter city in Charlotte, North Carolina,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She added that given the current impact of the virus, Duke is monitoring the ongoing developments and working with the city and organizers as planning continues.<\/p>\n

After the president\u2019s comments, we asked a Duke spokesperson if the company is rethinking its contribution. A spokesman said it\u2019s premature to discuss that.<\/p>\n

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_<\/p>\n