DNC chair Tom Perez reaffirms Democrats' plans for Milwaukee convention after Trump cancels Jacksonville event
Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez reaffirmed late Thursday that his party will hold its national convention next month in Milwaukee.
Perez's statement came in the wake of President Donald Trump pulling the plug on the Jacksonville, Florida portion of the GOP convention. Trump cited the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason for the abrupt reversal.
Republican delegates will gather where they originally planned, in Charlotte, N.C., for official business, including the renomination of the president.
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Democrats will hold a mostly virtual event, Aug. 17-20. Delegates will vote remotely. Joe Biden has said he intends to accept the nomination in Milwaukee.
"From the very beginning of this pandemic, Democrats have put the health and safety of the American people first," Perez said in a statement. "Unlike Trump, we followed the science, listened to doctors and public health experts, and worked through plans to protect lives.
"That's how we made the decision to hold a responsible convention that will bring our country together, ensure our delegates can take care of official business without risk to public health, and still shine a spotlight on our host community of Milwaukee," Perez said.
Perez said the convention "will showcase our candidate, our values and our vision to the nation while keeping people safe and engaging more Americans than ever before."
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: DNC: Tom Perez reaffirms Democrats' plans for Milwaukee convention
