Hundreds Of GOP Delegates Journey To Charlotte Semi-Bubble For Scaled-Down Convention

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Convention attendees must get a coronavirus test upon arrival and carry badges that record their movements.





Steve Harrison/WFAE



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Steve Harrison/WFAE



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It slashed the number of people coming, to just 336 delegates. A traditional convention has nearly 2,500.

The RNC is requiring masks and temperature checks. And it says delegates can’t even move their chairs inside meeting rooms. That rule is to make sure everyone stays six feet apart.

Chris Ager is a delegate from New Hampshire.

His state doesn’t have many coronavirus cases – 7,000 to date – and he doesn’t usually wear a mask.

«There’s very, very low risk up there, but to me if you join and organization and you attend there event then you follow their rules, he said. «And so the rules of wearing a mask … it’s fine.

Earlier this summer, Republicans wanted Cooper to give them assurances that they could fill the city’s downtown arena with delegates and other guests. The governor refused.

The GOP then moved most of its convention to Jacksonville, Fla., whose Republican mayor said the city could safely host. But then coronavirus cases spike in Florida, and the Republican sheriff of Duval County said he couldn’t create a security plan on such short notice.

President Trump reluctantly canceled the Florida events, saying «the timing of the event is not right.

That left Charlotte. The GOP had kept a small part of the convention there to satisfy contractual obligations.

Charlotte Democratic City Council member Larken Egleston cast a deciding vote two years ago to host the GOP’s convention, despite opposition from Democratic activists.

«I don’t think anyone is going to be sad to see the RNC packing up and leaving town when they do, he said. «It’s just been one thing after another. And even four days out I don’t there is still any certainty over exactly what this is going to look like.

After the City Council voted 6-5 to host, activists pasted stickers around the city mocking the Democratic Mayor Vi Lyles and Egleston for agreeing to host.

«[My sticker] said «One-term Larken — vote him out for selling us out, Egleston said. «But what is a pretty big mistake for an attack ad, they used a pretty decent picture of me from my wedding day.

Lyles is out of town this weekend, making good on a 2018 pledge not to speak at the convention.

And there are only a few banners downtown welcoming delegates, a similar amount of pomp for an American Legion convention.

John Lassiter is a longtime Republican, who raised $38 million as the CEO of the local host committee for the traditional convention. He was shocked when the GOP announced they were leaving for Florida.

He’s not attending any part of the scaled-back convention.

«No, we’re not connected at all at this point to whatever goes on, he said. «We’re fully focused on efforts to finish our wind down.

By winding down, Lassiter means settling broken contracts for a convention that didn’t happen. The city of Charlotte has spent $17 million on security preparing for the event. Leaders are keeping their fingers crossed that the federal government pays it back.