The Democratic National Committee has postponed its presidential convention until August 17 due to fears over the coronavirus pandemic, a Democratic official told Politico.
The decision to reschedule comes after the party’s presumptive nominee Joe Biden called for the convention to be moved. (RELATED: ‘I’ve Spoke Enough’: Joe Biden Stumbles During Coronavirus Speech)
“I doubt whether the Democratic convention is going to be able to be held in mid-July, early July,” the former vice president said, according to the New York Times. “I think it’s going to have to move into August.”
The delay from July 13 came after likely nominee Joe Biden publicly called for the convention to be rescheduled in response to the coronavirus pandemichttps://t.co/46kMdLqxFm
— POLITICO (@politico) April 2, 2020
The convention is now scheduled to take place in Milwaukee a week ahead of the Republican National Convention, which is scheduled to take place between August 24 and August 27 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
JUST IN: The Democratic National Convention will be DELAYED to the week of August 17th due to the coronavirus. Still in Milwaukee. pic.twitter.com/EV7ANkIh0v
— Alex Seitz-Wald (@aseitzwald) April 2, 2020
“In our current climate of uncertainty, we believe the smartest approach is to take additional time to monitor how the situation unfolds so we can best positions our party for a safe and successful convention,” DNC CEO Jon Solmonese said in a statement. “I have always believed that American innovation and ingenuity shine brightest during our darkest days, and for that reason, 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.”