The mayor of Houston, Texas, said that the Texas Republican Party’s annual convention, originally scheduled for next week, has been canceled.
Mayor Sylvester Turner announced on Wednesday afternoon that the convention will not happen. The Houston First Corporation, which operates the George R. Brown Convention Center, notified the Texas Republican Party’s governing board that the event would need to be canceled because of health risks.
Turner announced the decision in a tweet, writing, “I have asked Houston First to cancel the Texas GOP convention. At 3pm, Houston First sent a letter to the GOP that they are canceling the event. COVID19 is spreading and is prevalent in our city and we all must do our part to help combat and mitigate this virus.”
“The decision to cancel the GOP convention is to protect the health of the people of Houston,” he added. “The public health concern for our first responders, convention workers, and those who would have attended weighed heavily in our decision making. Houston is in the midst of a global health crisis and we are doing everything in our power to combat #COVID19.”
“No one wanted to politicize the decision to cancel the convention. The medical association, Greater Houston Partnership, and their sponsors wrote letters asking the party to cancel their in-person convention and make it virtual,” he wrote.
#COVID19 is spreading and is prevalent in our city and we all must do our part to help combat and mitigate this virus.
— Houston Mayor’s Office (@houmayor) July 8, 2020
Earlier Wednesday, Turner said that his office was seeking a legal avenue to prohibit the in-person convention from taking place next week as coronavirus cases in the state surge. The convention has attracted as many as 6,000 people in years prior.
“Where there are provisions that would allow us to cancel this convention — we will exercise those provisions,” Turner said. “And the plan is to exercise those provisions to cancel this agreement, this contract, today — to not go forward with this convention.”
Texas Republican Chairman James Dickey accused Turner, a Democrat, of letting his political biases take over. Dickey claimed that Turner was “seeking to deny a political Party’s critical electoral function.” He also noted that Turner did little to dissuade Black Lives Matter protesters from gathering in the city over the last few weeks.
“Our legal team is assessing the ability of the City to act at this time in this manner and weighing our legal options,” he said. “We are prepared to take all necessary steps to proceed in the peaceable exercise of our constitutionally protected rights.”
The State Republican Executive Committee voted last week to move ahead with the convention in Houston, despite threats from Turner that he would shut down the event if social distancing is not followed. The party also voted to allow a virtual convention as a backup plan should the event be canceled.
Texas has experienced a surge in new coronavirus cases over the past few weeks. The uptick in cases caused Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, to mandate the use of face coverings in public and to close down bars and restaurants in some counties.
