RNC tours Savannah in search for new host for Republican convention
Republican National Committee officials including GOP convention president and CEO Marcia Lee Kelly are touring Savannah Monday for an official site visit as they look for a city to host President Trump's nomination acceptance speech in August. The full convention was originally to be held in Charlotte, North Carolina, in August, but the state's Governor Roy Cooper has not given the committee the assurances it wants for the acceptance speech.
The RNC and Cooper could not reach an agreement over health and safety measures and the size of the crowds that could be accommodated. Cooper said the RNC wanted "a full 19,000-person crowd" inside the arena and the state could not guarantee that the party would be able to have a full arena. President Trump tweeted that Cooper was "not allowing us to occupy the arena as originally anticipated and promised" and "Because of @NC_Governor, we are now forced to seek another State to host the 2020 Republican National Convention."
North Carolina also had concerns about how the GOP would practice social distancing and implement measures to keep attendees safe. As a result, Charlotte will host much of the formal part of the convention, but the president's speech will be held in another city.
Kelly will be taking a look at the Savannah Convention Center with city officials and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, who welcomes hosting the convention. They will also be visiting Savannah's historic district and will scout key hotels with close proximity to the convention center.
RNC officials are also expected to conduct visits in Phoenix and Dallas later this week.
The RNC Convention committee started its site visits on Friday, when Kelly visited Nashville. CBS News has reported other cities in consideration are Jacksonville, Orlando, Nashville, Las Vegas as well as cities in Georgia and Arizona.