Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said Friday the city is still planning to host the Republican National Convention Aug. 24-27, though she said the coronavirus pandemic could upend the RNC.
"The city has a contractual obligation with the Republican Party to host this convention and we are proceeding in that direction," Lyles said during an hourlong question-and-answer session on Twitter.
The mayor said the city of Charlotte will follow guidelines about the coronavirus pandemic from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as “other state and federal agencies.”
Right now, North Carolina has a stay-at-home order because of the pandemic. If that doesn’t change, the RNC can’t come to Charlotte.
But if the state orders are removed or relaxed to allow the RNC to come, the city is contractually obligated to host.
"I’m hopeful just for all of us that we’ll be out of this particularly difficult time by the summer or the fall, but we’ll see," Lyles said.
The Democratic National Committee announced Thursday that it has moved its convention in Milwaukee back a month, to August 17. That’s a week before the RNC.
If Republicans asked to delay their convention, Lyles and the City Council would have to approve a change in date.
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