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TOPLINE
The Democratic National Convention will be moved to a significantly more compact venue in Milwaukee, while state delegations will be asked not to come, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett announced Wednesday.
UNITED STATES – JULY 27: Vice President Joe Biden speaks at the Democratic National Convention in … [+]
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KEY FACTS
The convention, which will take place between August 17 and August 20, will be moved from the Fiserv Forum to the considerably smaller Wisconsin Center, Barrett said, adding that the changes were based on the advice of health experts.
Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden will attend to accept the nomination, but state delegations are being asked not to travel to Milwaukee and to participate remotely instead.
“Public health is paramount,” Barrett stressed, “public health of delegates, public health of attendees, public health of those of us who live here in the city of Milwaukee.”
Auxiliary events that are typically held at national party conventions, such as an opening night delegate event, a media event and a volunteer event, which Barrett called “vast undertakings” that require “a lot of volunteers and a lot of money,” will be cancelled.
“It will not be a convention like we have seen in past years,” Barrett noted.
Key Background
The Republican Party moved the marquee events of their convention from Charlotte, North Carolina to Jacksonville, Florida, earlier this month after North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and President Trump came to an impasse over the size and scale of the convention. Its been met with wide disapproval from Jacksonville voters, 58% of whom oppose hosting convention events according to a University of North Florida poll.
Big Number
$200 million. Barrett said that the city had hoped to receive a cash infusion of $200 million. “I think it’s safe to say it will be a fraction of that,” he admitted, while predicting that hotels in the city wouldn’t be as hard hit as other businesses.
Key Quote
“All these changes have been driven by the pandemic that we are experiencing,” Barret underscored.
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