Texas Republicans are planning a traditional, in-person convention of approximately 7,500 state party delegates, a large-scale gathering that officials describe as an unofficial test-run for the national Republican convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Texas GOP Chairman James Dickey said Tuesday the coronavirus would not upend the state party convention, a three-day affair in mid-July set to include delegate votes on the floor of a Houston convention center, breakout training sessions in private side rooms, and vendor booths. The national Republican Party meets in Charlotte’s Spectrum Center arena roughly six weeks later, and Texas Republicans are eager to present their event as a model for successful mass political gathering.
“We look forward to leading by example,” Dickey told the Washington Examiner in an interview. “Conducting a convention, safely, is a critical part of the process.”
Pleased with the stabilization of coronavirus infections in Texas and worried about the extreme joblessness caused by the pandemic, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has lifted business closures as part of a phased transition back to normal. The moves have generally been embraced by Texans — the governor enjoys an approval rating of 58% in a recent poll from SurveyMonkey.
Republican enthusiasm to contribute to the opening of the economy was a factor in the Texas GOP’s decision to go ahead with a typical convention this summer, Dickey said, explaining that party activists are following Trump’s lead on this politically charged issue. But the chairman acknowledged that lingering health concerns related to the coronavirus would impact certain aspects of the state party’s gathering, scheduled for July 16–18.
“We’re working with the convention center to make sure we arrange things with a much less compacted [footprint] than was previously the norm,” Dickey said.
“It is absolutely critical,” he added, “that our delegates have a chance to weigh in on our rules and priorities and our platform and that we lead by example toward national convention, showing that we can return to a level of normalcy while continuing to take the highest steps to protect health and safety of our attendees.”
Dickey said the convention floor is being laid out so that delegates are not seated right next to each other in compact rows. In the side rooms used for training sessions and seminars, there will be fewer seats for casual observers. Those presenting and attending will be able to do so while practicing social distancing protocols. Other elements of the convention are being planned accordingly.
Helping to make this logistically possible is that attendance at this year’s convention is expected to be 50% less than previous years. Dickey claims the party did not discourage attendance but conceded the coronavirus played a role in the lowering attendance.
