The Democratic National Convention, originally scheduled for July, will reportedly be moved to August because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to The Hill, which cited two sources.
Presumptive Democratic White House nominee Joe Biden made a push for delaying the Milwaukee convention, which was scheduled for July 13-16. It reportedly will begin Aug. 17, according to sources speaking with The Hill.
Biden previously said it would be “hard to envision” an actual, physical convention for his party this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The former vice president, who has an almost-insurmountable delegate lead over U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, told MSNBC's Brian Williams the Democratic National Convention could be "different" this year.
“The fact is, it may have to be different,” Biden said. “My guess is, there’s going to be a great deal more absentee balloting, we used to call it, but paper ballots.”
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Before Thursday’s report, top Democrats reportedly were considering contingency plans for the convention, which could include a shortened convention or even an all-digital forum.
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The Republican National Convention is set for six weeks after the Democrats’ gathering, Aug. 24-27, in Charlotte, North Carolina. The GOP has that additional time cushion during which members can evaluate the virus’ impact.
The Democrats’ current rules require delegates to be physically present to nominate a candidate, so rule changes would be needed to allow digitally cast ballots.
A digital convention would have also prevented Democrats or Republicans from enjoying four days of international media attention and the accompanying fundraising calls.
Biden has won almost every primary since the Feb. 29 South Carolina primary. Sanders is the only candidate remaining in the race that once included more than two dozen, including a record number of women and minority contenders.
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On Tuesday, President Donald Trump warned Americans to brace for a “hell of a bad two weeks” ahead as the White House projected there could be 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the U.S. from the coronavirus pandemic even if current social distancing guidelines are maintained.
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Public health officials stressed Tuesday the number could be less if people across the country bear down on keeping their distance from one another.
Trump called it “a matter of life and death” for Americans to heed his administration’s guidelines and predicted the country would soon see a “light at the end of the tunnel” in a pandemic that in the United States has infected about 190,000 people and killed more than 4,000, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
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“I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead,” Trump said.
“This is going to be one of the roughest two or three weeks we’ve ever had in our country,” Trump added. “We’re going to lose thousands of people.”
