RNC Presses Governor on Convention Guidelines: Campaign Update

(Bloomberg) -- The Republican National Committee is asking North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper to provide “clear guidelines” for holding the GOP convention in Charlotte this August.

In a letter to Cooper on Thursday, RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel said the recent economic downturn “has only steeled our resolve to hold an in-person, energetic, five-star event here” while also keeping safety “foremost in mind.”

President Donald Trump has pressed Cooper to allow a convention with “full attendance” despite the threat of the coronavirus, and has threatened to move the event to another state.

In the letter, McDaniel spells out safety protocols the RNC will follow, including pre-travel health surveys, daily health questionnaires through an app, thermal scans, aggressive sanitizing and widely available anti-bacterial gel.

She then presses Cooper to spell out any additional requirements.

“We still do not have solid guidelines from the state and cannot in good faith, ask thousands of visitors to begin paying deposits and making travel plans without knowing the full commitment of the governor, elected officials and other stakeholders,” she wrote.

Fauci Has Reservations About Conventions (10:06 a.m.)

The top U.S. expert on infectious diseases, Anthony Fauci, urged both Republicans and Democrats to be cautious about holding in-person political conventions this summer.

During a CNN interview Wednesday, the director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said officials should “reserve judgment” for now and said he would have “significant reservations” if coronavirus cases weren’t declining in Milwaukee and Charlotte, North Carolina, the sites of the Democratic and Republican gatherings in late August.

The remarks came as President Donald Trump has been publicly pressuring North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper to commit to allowing a large number of delegates, media and party officials to gather for the Republican National Convention. Democrats are exploring options to hold their convention virtually. -- Ryan Teague Beckwith

Coming up:

The District of Columbia, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, South Dakota, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Indiana have primaries scheduled for June 2.

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