2020 Democratic National Convention Postponed
MILWAUKEE, WI — The 2020 Democratic National Convention, which will be held in Milwaukee this summer, has been postponed until August 17, Democratic National Committee officials said Thursday, citing the ongoing coronavirus public health emergency. The four-day convention had been planned for July 13-16.
“In our current climate of uncertainty, we believe the smartest approach is to take additional time to monitor how this situation unfolds so we can best position our party for a safe and successful convention. During this critical time, when the scope and scale of the pandemic and its impact remain unknown, we will continue to monitor the situation and follow the advice of health care professionals and emergency responders,” Joe Solmonese, CEO of the Democratic National Convention Committee, said in a statement on Thursday.
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According to a JSOnline report, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said the decision was the best one that could be made under the circumstances. "It underscores the commitment that they have made to Milwaukee," he said. "It underscores the commitment they have made to Wisconsin and it is my hope that by having it in August it will be a much needed shot in the arm for our restaurants, hotels and other businesses."
Prior to the advent of the COVID-19 public health emergency, DNC officials estimated there would have been about 50,000 people coming in from out of the area. That number of people does not include the roughly 2,000 media members who would also descend upon the area or the hundreds — if not thousands — of law enforcement officers who were expected to work in the metro Milwaukee area from all across the U.S.
Officials said the 2020 Milwaukee DNC convention planning team will now use the coming weeks to "further explore all options to ensure nominating the next president of the United States is done without unnecessary risk to public health."
In a Politico report, one DNC official acknowledged the convention will be scaled back. “People are going to be hurting,” the DNC official said. “It’s not a time be lavish.”
Among those options include everything from adjusting the convention’s format to crowd size and schedule, officials said. As the convention’s plans are further finalized, more details will be made publicly available, DNC officials said in a statement Thursday.
Members of the Democratic National Convention Committee say they have confirmed that the Fiserv Forum, the Wisconsin Center District and hotel accommodations in the surrounding area will be available in August when the convention is scheduled to begin.
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This article originally appeared on the Milwaukee Patch
