Jacksonville is definitely on the shortlist to host all or part of the Republican National Convention in August, and several sources told News4Jax that the Florida city is the favorite.
Republican leaders are expected to make a final decision this week.
The GOP convention was originally set to take place in Charlotte, but the Republican National Committee and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper have failed to reach a deal over health and safety conditions due to the coronavirus crisis and the size of the crowds that would be permitted to attend President Donald Trump’s acceptance speech, CBS News reported.
It appears as of now that Charlotte will still host much of the formal portion of the convention, but Trump’s speech will take place in another city.
RNC officials have already toured Nashville and Savannah and are considering other options to host the speech.
News4Jax Political Analyst Rick Mullaney of Jacksonville University’s Public Policy Institute said there would be “many positives for Jacksonville” if it hosted the event, as “it’s a chance to profile and showcase the city.”
However, he also pointed out that “there are two big challenges [to hosting the event], one is COVID-19, making sure that we are safe, the other is the protest because the conventions this year are likely sites for protest.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state would welcome the convention, according to First Coast News, saying “We understand that there’s a virus ... [but] to just say 'no' to everything, I don’t think is going to work. So we want to be able to do it, and I think we could do it in a safe way.”
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.