NORTH CAROLINA IS THE PLACE TO BE IN 2020
It is a long way from Alaska. Some 3,445* miles to be exact. But the Republican National Committee officially selected Charlotte, N.C. as host city of the 2020 Republican National Convention.
Southern hospitality won over the glitz of Las Vegas, the other city that was a finalists. Some prospective cities had dropped out of the running, in protest of President Donald Trump.
Cynthia Henry, RNC National Committeewoman for Alaska, spoke to Must Read Alaska after the vote, which was unanimous at the RNC meeting in Austin, Texas.
“The representatives here from Charlotte were extremely hospitable and welcoming. Mayor Vi Lyles was present last night and introduced herself to us. We were really impressed with her.”
Henry acknowledged that Lyles was under pressure from her very left-leaning city council to reneg on the contract with the RNC, but she held firm.
“I believe this convention conveys a positive message supporting our city’s belief in acceptance and inclusion. This is our opportunity to, once again, put Charlotte in the international spotlight to demonstrate the democratic process and two-party system that we deeply value,” Lyles wrote on her Twitter feed.
However, Lyles also told the media this week that she would stop short of delivering a welcoming speech at the convention, which is a break from tradition. Her city council had only approved the convention on a 6-5 vote.
“This is a wonderful location for the Republican convention,” said Alaska GOP Chairman Tuckerman Babcock. “Charlotte is a millennial hub, with a dynamic economy, and North Carolina is a state that Donald Trump recaptured for the Republicans in 2016.”
Tuckerman sent his congratulations to longtime national committeewoman Aida Fisher of North Carolina.
“She’s a senior member of the national committee and an African-American who has brought a huge benefit home to Charlotte. And special thanks to Robin Hayes, the state GOP chairman of North Carolina. Robin is a former member of Congress and he has been to Alaska several times on fishing trips. He will be a masterful host of the national convention.”
(*As for those 3,445 miles, Alaska Airlines, in partnership with American Airlines, flies to Charlotte through Chicago.)