Newsmax learned on Monday, both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions might be run as virtual operations — not unlike virtual yoga, dinners, and church services that are becoming mainstays of the new coronavirus lifestyle.
Should the virus crisis continue until this summer, it would be out of the question a national convention with the usual thousands of party activists, cramped committee meetings, and jammed social events could ever be held.
So the national committees of both parties have begun to explore alternative options for nominating Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden for president.
"We are still planning on a full convention in August," Republican National Chairman Ronna McDaniel told Newsmax on Monday morning, adding, "Any discussion to change that will not take place until at least May."
Democratic National Committee Communications Director Katie Peters went a bit further, saying "we're exploring a range of contingency options to ensure we can deliver a successful convention without unnecessary risk to public health. This is a very fluid situation — and the convention is still more than three months away. We are committed to sharing updates with the public in the coming weeks and months as our plans continue to take shape."
Peters emphasized, "contingency planning for a variety of scenarios is an important part of successfully preparing for every convention."
Talk of virtual national conventions comes as New York just became the 14th state to postpone its presidential primary. Over the weekend, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the state was moving its presidential primary long scheduled for April 28 to June 23rd.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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