President’s Jacksonville GOP convention carries big risks
Holding a massive event amid protests and an increase in new COVID-19 cases could backfire
The announcement that the Republican National Convention was coming to Florida in August was supposed to be a slam dunk win for Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state GOP.
But it came just as Florida began seeing a stretch of record single-day numbers of new coronavirus cases — and Jacksonville, the site of the convention, was the scene of some of the most troubling examples of the virus hitting restaurants and bars.
The party’s decision to move most of the RNC from Charlotte with less than three months to go was already a risky gambit, showing the importance of Florida for
President Donald Trump’s reelection chances. But could holding such a massive event backfire in the middle of the pandemic and with nationwide demonstrations against police brutality?
“A lot of states wanted it, and we weren’t the only one,” said Susan MacManus, professor emeritus of political science at the University of South Florida. “[But] the downside, of course, is if it turns into chaos, either from racial justice protests or from the virus, then that can quickly erode all of the goodwill and optics the state wanted. But they wanted to take a shot on it.”
Earlier this month, DeSantis began touting Florida cities as potential replacements after North
Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said he couldn’t guarantee attendees’ and residents’ safety in Charlotte without strict health guidelines in place.
On June 3 in Orlando, DeSantis said the Amway Center was the “obvious place” due to the region’s hotel capacity, adding that Jacksonville and Miami were in
terested as well.
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, both Democrats, threw cold water on the idea for fiscal reasons and concerns over COVID-19 and protests. On June 4, Demings said he wanted to ensure the county recouped 100% of its costs if the convention were held at the Orange County Convention Center.
“[And to] infuse … politics into the equation with a political convention, I think it’s an ingredient for failure,” said Demings, who is married to U.S .Rep. Val Demings, a potential running mate for presumed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
“No matter which political party that you are a member of, I believe that any community that hosts a political party’s convention in the environment and the conditions we have now is going to be susceptible to mass demonstrations,” Demings said. “I don’t want that for our community for many reasons.”
Yet, Charles Hart, the Orange County GOP chair, said, “Orlando was in the running.”
“Mayor Dyer and Mayor Demings chose to kill our chances by not welcoming the convention here,” Hart said. “Dyer never returned my calls. Demings chose to continue to not welcome the convention while adding conditions that cost the people
of Orlando the millions of dollars in income and the thousands of jobs that a convention would have added to our economy.”
Orange County spokeswoman Despina McLaughlin said the convention center “never received any requests to host the RNC. Additionally, the RNC never asked for a site visit.”
Dyer spokeswoman Samantha Holsten said no Orlando venue, including Amway, was ever considered for the convention.
‘Nothing in life is certain’
MacManus said Jacksonville having a Republican mayor in Lenny Curry was probably the major reason the event is happening there.
Curry said he expected his city to be fully “open for business” for the convention in late August.
But, he cautioned, if the coronavirus pandemic brings another wave, adjustments will be made.
“Nothing in life is certain,” Curry said in a Zoom conference call with reporters. “If things change, if this virus takes an unexpected turn, we’ll adapt accordingly at the time. But we are planning in accordance with our trend lines right now. And that is getting people back to work, protecting the vulnerable, protecting our healthcare systems and trying to get back to life, to normal in a safe responsible way.”
DeSantis, speaking on June 11, said Duval “had a
relatively minor outbreak” compared with other parts of the country.
But since then, Florida has seen a record week of positive coronavirus cases, with an additional 3,822 coronavirus cases Friday to reach nearly 90,000.
Duval County, which is consolidated with the city of Jacksonville, saw the number of new daily cases increase from 32 reported on Sunday to 102 on Thursday. The county had as little as 13 new cases reported the first day of June.
In addition, two bars in Jacksonville Beach closed last weekend due to customers testing positive for the virus. And a woman’s claim that she and 10 of her friends all tested positive after one night out at a Jacksonville bar, where servers have also tested positive, made national headlines.
VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena will almost certainly be packed for President Donald Trump’s acceptance speech on Aug. 27. But, Curry insisted, “We’re not going to put people at risk if conditions change.”
The national GOP said measures would include temperature checks, aggressive sanitizing protocols and testing sites around the city.
‘Goal number one’
Longtime GOP delegate Rich Crotty, the Orange County GOP state committeeman acknowledges that many delegates in the
crowded indoor arena will be close to the age considered at most risk for the virus.
Crotty, attending his “eighth or ninth” RNC since 1968, is 71.
“I felt comfortable at all of them,” Crotty said, “and the goal is to have a situation where everybody can feel safe and be safe. It’s really goal number one for the convention. It has to be.”
Trump himself has been vocally critical of wearing masks, despite Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. He has resisted being seen wearing one in public.
“I am deeply concerned that the impetus for moving their highest-profile event to Florida was because Donald Trump wanted to give a speech to a crowd of people not social distancing — and, given his previous public events, likely not wearing masks,” said Florida Democratic chair Terrie Rizzo when the event was announced.
But Randy Ross, the 2016 Orange County Trump chair, said, “My guess is some delegates will wear masks and some won’t. Unless required, then all will comply.”
Slim margins
The choice of Florida also highlights the state’s continued importance as a swing state.
Recent polls have shown Biden with a steady lead over Trump, with an American Greatness/TIPP Poll released Tuesday showing
Biden with an 11-point lead with likely voters. Even a June 11 survey by the Republican firm Cygnal had Biden with a 3-point lead.
Trump won the state by 1.2% in 2016 and President Obama squeaked through by 0.9% in 2012. And the 2018 off-year races were so tight there were an unprecedented three recounts.
MacManus said Florida was “a 1% [margin] state and now we’re a half percent state. And of all the big states, this is the one with the largest cache of electoral college votes [at 29].”
But there was one difference between the parties: the electoral map is nearly impossible for Trump without Florida, while Democrats have a road to winning through Pennsylvania and the Midwest.
“Republicans can’t win without Florida,” MacManus said. “And Democrats can.”
Democrats, whose own convention in Milwaukee remains in question, were
quick to criticize the GOP’s choice.
“As the public health crisis continues to grow in Florida, President Trump should be focused on providing more testing, PPE [personal protective equipment] and relief, not planning a rally that goes against public health guidelines and does nothing to help Florida families,” Biden’s Florida campaign said in a statement.
Just because Orlando lost out on the convention, however, doesn’t mean Trump will ignore Central Florida, where he kicked off his 2020 campaign a year ago at the Amway Center.
“Rest assured, the president and the campaign know the value of the I-4 corridor,” Ross said. “POTUS will be back in Orlando and Florida often before Election Day.”