JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Longtime political reporter Jim Morrill from the Charlotte Observer in North Carolina says the city’s host committee for the Republican National Convention lashed out about broken promises made by GOP leaders.
Some say the decision to move the convention to Jacksonville will be a hit to Charlotte’s local economy. Others believe the North Carolina city might have dodged a bullet for a number of reasons.
Morrill said the quick switch to Jacksonville hasn’t been sitting well with the people who spent two years planning the event in Charlotte. A member of Charlotte Host 2020 wrote:
“Confirmation by the City of Jacksonville that the Republican National Convention has moved is devastating news for the thousands of people who live in our community and work at our hotels, entertainment venues and small businesses expecting a boost from the impacts of COVID-19.”
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The blame is being shared across the board.
“While a lot of people blame the governor, there are some people who are pinning this on the president for assisting on a full house at the convention even during the pandemic,” Morrill said.
The reporter is referring to a series of tweets from President Trump after North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper voiced concerns about holding a full-scale convention. The governor refused to promise the president a full blown convention in Charlotte without social distancing measures during the coronavirus pandemic.
Legal liabilities based on contracts, however, still exist.
“There’s a master contract between the city and the national Republican committee, but there are other contracts between the host committee and the venues in the arena," Morrill said. "Apparently, they were already put down on the arena. They were planning to revamp the whole thing into a conventional stage.”
Morrill said some Charlotte residents feel as if they dodged a bullet with the RNC heading to Jacksonville. With cases of the coronavirus rising and likely protests at the convention, some in Charlotte are glad to see the convention change course.
Right now the plan is for 336 delegates to vote to nominate President Trump in Charlotte. He will then make his acceptance speech in Jacksonville.