Republicans scout Savannah as potential site for RNC meet

ATLANTA — Officials with the Republican National Committee were set to tour Savannah as a potential site for President Donald Trump’s nominating convention, as Georgia leaders aggressively maneuver for the political gathering.

The RNC planned to scout the coastal Georgia city on

Monday after Trump and national Republicans decided to shift most convention proceedings out of Charlotte, according to a senior official with direct knowledge of the tour.

Top Georgia Republicans have intensified their efforts to land a piece of the August event since Trump and party leaders agreed to largely shift the RNC’s proceedings from Charlotte due to a stalemate with local Democrats over coronavirus limits.

Gov. Brian Kemp, who has steadily rolled back economic restrictions, has vowed the state can “safely host” the gathering during the pandemic and urged Trump to keep “Georgia on your mind.”

Kemp, who planned to join the tour in Savannah, said in a statement Monday the state will “offer a truly unmatched experience” to the RNC organizers.

“With world-renowned southern hospitality, firstclass facilities and a topnotch workforce, ‘The Hostess City of the South’ will leave a lasting impression on Marcia Lee Kelly and her team,” Kemp said of the convention’s CEO.

And the state’s entire Republican delegation has lobbied Trump to pick Georgia, though the appeal mostly focused on Atlanta’s amenities and experience hosting other largescale events.

Savannah would not typically be in the running for such a major gathering, which draws tens of thousands of visitors. Four years ago, the RNC was held in Cleveland, while the Democratic counterpart was in Philadelphia.

But Republican officials have indicated they would split up this year’s meeting across several different locations, clearing the way for smaller cities to make their pitch.

Some convention business still will be held in Charlotte to avoid breaking a contract, though Trump’s nominating speech on the final night of the meeting will be elsewhere. Party officials also could scatter parts of the event to other states.

RNC officials also are considering several other potential locations, including Nashville and the Florida cities of Jacksonville and Orlando.

Though Florida offers a larger trove of electoral votes, Republicans are increasingly concerned about holding Georgia in November.

It’s not clear if Atlanta is under consideration, though Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has strongly opposed the idea. She has warned that inviting thousands of visitors would defy the city’s “phased, data-driven approach to reopening.”

Local officials in Savannah could raise similar concerns, as an episode over the weekend underscored.

During a brief visit last week, Savannah tourism officials asked Kemp to post an online video pumping the city as a site for The Basketball Tournament, a $2 million winnertake-all event to be broadcast by ESPN.

Michael Owens, the chief executive of the Tourism Leadership Council, said the city desperately needed the “shot in the arm” and that he asked Kemp to shoot the video in the spur of the moment.

Apparently, however, Mayor Van Johnson was out of the loop.

“Would have been nice if the @cityofsavannah knew about this, because I certainly did not,” Johnson wrote on Saturday.