The Republican National Committee is resuming in-person voter turnout activities for President Trump as states reopen their economies and fears of the coronavirus recede.
The RNC pulled people from the field in early March and shifted its massive get-out-the-vote operation to a virtual footing that relied on text messaging, phone calls, and livestreams to reach voters and to train volunteers. Beginning next week, the party is redeploying back into the field to knock on doors and to perform other in-person political activities to promote Trump’s reelection, with plans to honor local distancing protocols.
“Starting next week, Trump Victory field teams will resume in-person volunteer activities and campaigning where legally allowed,” RNC spokeswoman Mandi Merritt said in a statement provided to the Washington Examiner on Friday. “Just as Trump Victory was able to transition to virtual campaigning in less than 24 hours, our teams across the country will seamlessly adapt again just as efficiently.”
The move comes as Trump prepares to resume normal politicking, including in-person fundraising and possibly campaign rallies. The president recently ordered the RNC to pull the party’s quadrennial nominating convention out of Charlotte, North Carolina, and to find a new host because Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper would not guarantee the GOP that it could hold a traditional gathering unencumbered by social distancing.
Many states are in various phases of reopening their economies after coronavirus business closures that lasted more than two months. Although lingering health risks remain, the rate of COVID-19 infections and deaths has been flattening or declining in many states.
