President Trump and the Republican Party’s insistence, at least publicly, that they’ll hold a packed, in-person convention in August is putting pressure on Democrats to do the same.
This weekend, Trump threatened to yank the GOP’s quadrennial gathering from Charlotte, North Carolina, if Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper couldn’t promise all the trappings, including being able to fill the Spectrum Center with 50,000-plus guests from Aug. 24 to Aug. 27.
In response, a Cooper spokeswoman said North Carolina health officials were working with the Republican National Committee, but didn’t commit to lifting restrictions. Three months out from the planned confab, gatherings in the swing state are currently limited to 10 people amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Meanwhile, RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel has refused to entertain the prospect of having anything short of a full-scale convention, maintaining planning will proceed “full steam ahead” until the end of June, when the party is expected to reassess to see “if we do have to make adjustments.”
And it’s that dogged approach which is creating logistical and political problems for Democrats as they organize their own convention, set to take place a week earlier in Milwaukee.
Tom Perez, McDaniel’s Democratic National Committee counterpart, has imitated her posture, saying his party delayed its event by a month “to maximize” the possibility of having a “muscular,” in-person spectacle. Democratic Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett echoed Perez’s rhetoric, vowing to be “nimble” for the hosting committee, which halved its staff of 31 in April because of the virus.
Yet, confusion and disagreement in the Democratic ranks reign, with differing opinions on the idea of a virtual convention, even partially, as the party weighs how to woo back voters in the pivotal battleground state.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the highest-ranked elected Democrat, has suggested the party gather on a single day at a large, outdoor stadium so a limited number of attendees can practice social distancing. Presumptive 2020 Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, who’s due to become the party’s next standard-bearer, appears more in the dark.
“It may not be as robust a convention, with a number of people. It may be a social distancing thing. It may be smaller,” Biden told Wisconsin ABC affiliate WISN 12 last week.
On the ground, Wisconsin locals are similarly uncertain, a feeling exacerbated by the state’s chaotic response to the COVID-19 outbreak thanks to staunch Republican statehouse opposition to Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. Evers himself hinted an online convention would be “the smartest thing.”
Wisconsin state Rep. LaKeshia Myers told the Washington Examiner there was a push for an in-person event, but on “a smaller scale than what we are used to.” Offering “some type of virtual option” as well was the “responsible” path forward, she added.
“I can’t foresee having a large convergence on the city. I don’t know how feasible that is from a realistic standpoint with where we are,” Myers said.
Myers admitted that likely scenario will hurt Milwaukee financially, given the public and private sector investment. Officials would also miss out on the chance to showcase the city to the country.
Both of those factors had led to “an underground kind of rumbling or movement” of advocates lobbying the DNC to allow Milwaukee to host the convention in 2024 if an in-person gathering falls through this cycle, according to Myers. But her overriding concern was public health and safety, particularly the strain visitors would have on the 600,000-person city’s already-stretched resources as it deals with COVID-19.
Wisconsin state Sen. Lena Taylor would be “surprised” if there were a traditional, in-person convention, acknowledging that may not be “what people had hoped, or planned, or were looking forward to.” While the revenue “would be amazing,” since Milwaukee’s budget had been calculated on the confab, her other worry was providing Biden with the best possible springboard for November’s general election against Trump.
“It’s a tale of different conventions because the Republican convention is saying it’s going forward in-person,” she said of the Democrats’ potential dual in-person/virtual event.
Ruben Hopkins of the Wisconsin Black Chamber of Commerce had noticed the same tensions. Hopkins’s group is putting together sideline programming, regardless of what shape the convention takes, including COVID-19 testing, a jobs fair, and a community food pantry for the needy.
“If anything, it will just look like the Democratic Party is paying attention to the conditions in the country versus just coming together to drop some balloons,” he said, emphasizing his nonpartisanship. “The Republicans are going to have to match that. And if all they’re doing at their convention is whatever they do, then it’s not going to go over well.”
African American Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin’s Ossie Kendrix was still “cautiously” anticipating an in-person convention with caveats, especially due to the disproportionate effects of COVID-19 on minority communities. About 40% of Milwaukee’s population identifies as being black or African American.
“Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, an influx of travelers was ideal for the Milwaukee economy. Today, not so much,” he said. “I’d love to see more of a virtual convention with less travelers. I’d also challenge the planning team to explore opportunities to host events where more outside air can be utilized with social distancing mandates.”
