Democrats Officially Postpone Presidential Convention

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The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has officially postponed its presidential convention until August 17 from July 13 after presumptive nominee Joe Biden called for the convention to be rescheduled in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

“I’m confident our convention planning team and our partners will find a way to deliver a convention in Milwaukee this summer that places our Democratic nominee on the path to victory in November,” convention CEO Joe Solmonese said in a statement.

“This is the right decision for the safety of those involved in the convention and for Milwaukee. An August convention will provide a much-needed economic boost for Milwaukee and Wisconsin as we come out of this unprecedented time,” said Alex Lasry, senior vice president of the Milwaukee Bucks, who supported the Milwaukee election bid.

Biden himself had recommended as recently as yesterday that the convention “would have to move to August.”

“I doubt whether the Democratic Convention is going to be able to be held in mid-July or early July. I think it’s going to have to move into August,” Biden told Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon. “We just have to be prepared for the alternative and the alternative, we don’t know what it’s going to be unless we have a better sense of whether this curve is going to move down or up.”

The Republication National Committee (RNC) is also looking to reschedule its own convention in light of the pandemic. Mandi Merritt, a spokeswoman for the RNC, said the organization “is working closely with state parties, ensuring that they have the resources needed to get their presidential nomination processes done, and offering incredible flexibility in these circumstances.”