Jun 24, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Most Jacksonville voters oppose moving Republican convention to city

Fadel Allassan

The RNC in 2016. — The 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Photo: Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

A majority of Jacksonville, Fla., voters do not support the GOP's move to hold the main portions of its national convention in their city this summer, per a University of North Florida poll released Wednesday.

By the numbers: 58% of voters oppose the move, while 42% support it. 71% of respondents expressed concerns about the event helping to spread coronavirus, while 61% indicated they worried the convention could bring "protests and social unrest."

While there was an expected partisan divide — 90% of Democrats opposed the move, compared to just 19% of Republicans — it's worth noting that 62% of independents were not in favor.

The big picture: Florida passed 100,000 confirmed coronavirus cases earlier this week, as the state combats a sharp spike in cases.

The state of play: President Trump and the RNC relocated the public portions of the event, like President Trump's nominating speech, to Jacksonville from Charlotte, after North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) said he would require the convention to be downsized due to COVID-19.

The event is expected to draw around 50,000 people.

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Most Jacksonville voters oppose moving Republican convention to city

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