NC says it’s working with GOP to keep convention
WASHINGTON – North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said Tuesday he’s trying to work out an agreement with GOP officials to keep the Republican National Convention in his state, as other governors expressed interest in hosting the event in August.
“I hope that we can find some kind of reasonable accommodation,” Cooper said at a news conference. “But we’re not going to sacrifice the health and safety of North Carolinians, and that’s the bottom line.”
Shortly after, President Donald Trump said he wants to know “within a week” whether the convention can be held in North Carolina.
“We don’t have much time,” Trump said in the Rose Garden. “If the governor can’t tell us very soon, unfortunately, we’ll have no choice. The people want it.”
Trump noted Cooper is a Democrat and accused Democratic officials of not reopening their states “for political reasons,” which he described as suspicious.
He tweeted Monday that the GOP needed an immediate answer from North Carolina on whether Republicans would be able to “fully occupy” the convention space in August. Monday, North Carolina reported the highest daily total of coronavirus hospitalizations since the pandemic began.
Cooper said he asked the Republican National Committee to submit various ways the event could be held, depending on the state of the health crisis in three months.
If the president wants to go elsewhere, two Republican governors said Tuesday they’d be happy to accommodate him.
“Florida would love to have the RNC,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said. “The door is open. We want to have the conversation, whether it’s RNC, DNC, whatever, because I think it would be good for the people of Florida.”
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, another governor who has moved more aggressively than many state leaders to end lockdowns, said his state “would be honored to safely host the Republican National Convention.”
“We hope you will consider the Peach State! @realdonaldtrump,” he tweeted.
The GOP convention is scheduled for the week of Aug. 24.