GOP to split convention between venues

WASHINGTON—The business side of August’s Republican National Convention will stay in North Carolina. The Republican National Committee voted on Wednesday to keep behind-the-scenes convention work, like building the party’s platform, in Charlotte. But the keynote event, President Donald Trump’s speech accepting the party’s nomination, will happen elsewhere after he expressed frustration with the state’s Democratic governor, Roy Cooper, and his social distancing requirements for the event.

Where will Trump give his acceptance speech? Party officials considered locations across the country, but RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said Wednesday that Jacksonville, Fla., was the front-runner. The president’s remarks and the associated celebration could create up to $100 million in revenue for its eventual host city. “What [Cooper’s] doing is losing hundreds of millions of dollars for his state,” Trump said on Wednesday.

Dig deeper: Read Jamie Dean’s report on campaigning in the age of COVID-19.