Campaign

The Hill’s Campaign Report: Republicans go on the hunt for new convention site

by Max Greenwood,Julia Manchester and Jonathan Easley - 06/04/20 4:29 PM ET

Welcome to The Hill’s Campaign Report, your daily rundown on all the latest news in the 2020 presidential, Senate and House races. Did someone forward this to you? Click here to subscribe.

We’re Julia Manchester, Max Greenwood and Jonathan Easley. Here’s what we’re watching today on the campaign trail.

LEADING THE DAY:

Republican National Committee (RNC) officials are set to begin touring potential host cities for their national convention in August after the party pulled the plug on its gathering in Charlotte, N.C.

Among the cities under consideration are Jacksonville, Fla., Nashville, Tenn., and Atlanta according to a person familiar with the plans. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) said earlier this week that RNC officials were planning to visit Nashville on Thursday. An Axios report published on Thursday also listed Dallas, Phoenix, New Orleans and Savannah, Ga., as potential host cities for the convention.

Setting up a new convention won’t be an easy task. But President Trump and party officials made the decision to abandon the main convention in Charlotte after North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) said that Republicans would need to scale back their convention plans due to the coronavirus pandemic. The RNC’s executive committee voted this week to allow most of the convention to happen somewhere else, while official party business will still be handled in Charlotte.

A few state and local leaders have already expressed interest in bringing the Republican convention to their states in August. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) tweeted late last month that his state would be “honored to safely host the Republican National Convention.” And Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry (R) said his city was well equipped to handle such an event, given its successful hosting of an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) match last month.

Still, Republicans are facing a tight timeline for moving their convention. Such gatherings typically take months if not years to plan and involve relocating staffers across the country. At the same time, they require the buy-in of local governments, many of which are still concerned about the coronavirus pandemic and a possible resurgence of the virus.

But Trump and his reelection machine appear eager for a full-fledged campaign season in spite of the pandemic.

Trump Victory, the joint venture between the Trump campaign and the RNC, is set to resume some of its regular campaign activities next week, a spokesperson told The Hill’s Jonathan Easley on Thursday. That includes resuming in-person training sessions for its volunteers.

The expected ramp up comes as a growing number of national and statewide polls show Trump losing ground to former Vice President Joe Biden. A batch of Fox News polls released on Wednesday showed Trump trailing Biden in key battleground states including Arizona, Ohio and Wisconsin. And a Monmouth University poll out earlier this week found Biden leading by 11 points nationally.

–Max Greenwood

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FROM THE TRAIL:

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) Climate Council rolled out a list of policy recommendations on Thursday, calling for greater investment than Biden’s plan. The Hill’s Rachel Frazin reports.

The executive director of the National Association of Police Organizations, Bill Johnson, criticized Vice President Biden’s calls for police reform on Thursday. Johnson said that Biden “kept moving left” in his rhetoric on law enforcement, and has “gone off the deep end.” The Hill’s Justine Coleman reports.

Scaled-back Pride Month events are presenting a challenge for LGBTQ+ advocacy groups that were hoping to boost funding and outreach ahead of the general election in November. With the coronavirus pandemic forcing people to social distance and avoid large gatherings, many of this month’s events will be held online. The Hill’s Alex Gangitano reports.

Former President Obama made his first public remarks about George Floyd, calling for police reforms. Obama did not mention Trump and largely steered clear of the polarizing politics that have wracked the nation following Floyd’s death. Jonathan reports.

PERSPECTIVES:

J.T. Young: Coronavirus lockdowns threaten an electoral lock-up for Trump

Liz Peek: Biden courts black voters with empathy while Trump delivers real change

CONGRESS & STATES:

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has endorsed Jamaal Bowman, the Democrat mounting a primary challenge against House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.). Rebecca Klar reports.

MONEY WATCH:

Pro-Trump Super PAC America First Action is putting millions of dollars behind an ad campaign slamming Biden’s record on NAFTA the in the swing state of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Jonathan reports.

POLL WATCH:

President Trump trails presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden in Ohio, Wisconsin and Arizona, according to surveys from Fox News. Full rundown HERE.

PUBLIC POLICY POLLING – NORTH CAROLINA PRESIDENTIAL

Biden: 49 percent (+1)

Trump: 45 percent (-2)

PUBLIC POLICY POLLING – NORTH CAROLINA SENATE

Cunningham: 43 percent (-4)

Tillis: 41 percent (+1)

FOX NEWS – WISCONSIN PRESIDENTIAL

Biden: 49 percent

Trump: 40 percent

FOX NEWS – ARIZONA PRESIDENTIAL

Biden: 46 percent

Trump: 42 percent