(Bloomberg) -- The Republican National Committee is considering moving its August convention in Jacksonville, Florida, to an outdoor venue in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Republican Party officials had planned to have convention events, including President Donald Trump’s speech accepting the presidential nomination, at the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena and multiple nearby venues. They are now discussing moving all of the activities outdoors, according to an official who asked for anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
Two outdoor venues are near Vystar Arena -- TIAA Bank Field, where the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL team plays, and 121 Financial Ballpark, home to a minor league baseball team.
Coronavirus cases are surging in Florida, which reported 232,718 cases as of Thursday, up 4% from a day earlier, compared with an average increase of 5% in the previous seven days. It recorded 120 deaths, a daily record.
The convention had been initially scheduled for Aug. 24-27 in Charlotte, North Carolina, but that state’s governor refused to accede to Trump’s requests to lift all coronavirus social-distancing measures such as mandatory face masks.
Ex-Sanders Aides Seek Latino Vote for Biden (10:23 a.m.)
Former aides to Bernie Sanders are launching a seven-figure ad campaign aimed at garnering Latino support for Joe Biden.
The TV and digital ads focus on President Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic and his treatment of Latinos throughout his tenure. The ads will be aired in English and Spanish in Arizona, Michigan and North Carolina.
“Since the day he announced for president, Donald Trump has been at war with the Latino community,” opens the debut ad.
The campaign is being launched by Nuestro PAC, a Super PAC founded by Sanders campaign senior adviser Chuck Rocha and America’s Progressive Promise PAC, a group led by former Sanders aides, including campaign senior adviser Jeff Weaver, working to push the party further left. The groups plan to release at least a dozen more ads.
Sanders had strong support from Latinos in the primary, earning half the group’s vote in California. The announcement comes a day after the joint Biden-Sanders task force released their list of issues they would like to see Biden adopt in his platform. -- Emma Kinery
Coming Up
On Thursday, Democrat Joe Biden is speaking about the economy in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
President Donald Trump is planning his next campaign rally in New Hampshire on Saturday.
The Democratic National Convention is scheduled for the week beginning Aug. 17 in Milwaukee, while the Republicans are slated to meet a week later with events in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Jacksonville, Florida.
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