Report: GOP ‘Tentatively’ Settles on Jacksonville, Florida, to Host Republican National Convention

GOP officials have “tentatively” settled on Jacksonville, Florida, to host August’s Republican National Convention, following President Trump’s decision to yank the convention from Charlotte, North Carolina, according to a Wednesday report from the Washington Post.

The Post, citing “three Republican officials briefed on the plans,” stated that the GOP has zeroed in on Jacksonville, which has remained on the short list of cities to host the major event, although two officials told said that “more routine and lower-profile meetings still would take place in Charlotte.”

“We are going to keep our convention of, the business of the convention in Charlotte. That is for sure,” RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said during an appearance on the Hugh Hewitt Show. “It’s going to be smaller and scaled down.

“And then we are looking for a different city for a celebration. There’s a couple more things we need to do before we can announce that, but Jacksonville is absolutely in the frontrunning position,” she confirmed.

The Post added that details are still up in the air as RNC aides “are scrambling to determine whether the northern Florida city has enough hotel rooms to accommodate” the event.

However, an RNC spokesperson said “several cities are still being considered” and emphasized that “no final decision has been made.”

“Convention officials are touring Phoenix, Savannah, Dallas, and Jacksonville this week, and we have been in conversations with several other potential locations,” the spokesperson said.

Trump’s decision to withdraw the main event from Charlotte followed local officials failing to guarantee a packed arena, citing coronavirus-related concerns. The event, if held in Jacksonville, would likely take place at the 15,000 seat Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena.

A Tuesday report from Jacksonville’s First Coast News furthered speculation, as the outlet revealed that major hotels in the downtown area have been “booked solid” for the week of the event, which is slated to take place August 24-27.

However, other cities have been under consideration, including Dallas, Nashville, and Orlando. Savannah, which GOP convention CEO Marcia Lee Kelly toured on Monday, is also under consideration.

While Savannah’s Mayor Van Johnson (D) has expressed concern over possibility of the convention coming to his city, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry (R) has welcomed the consideration:

“I know it’s going to be a heavy lift,” Curry stated last week. “There’s no definite answer as to whether it’s coming here or not. But I think that if we land it, people are going to appreciate the jobs and we will do it responsibly.”

The Florida GOP also responded to the mounting speculation:

CNN reported on Wednesday that President Trump is likely to announced the final decision as early as Thursday.