Duval County

Duval GOP chairman says Jacksonville on very short list of potential RNC locations

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Duval GOP Chairman Dean Black told Action News Jax that Jacksonville could be the site of this year’s Republican National Convention.

“What makes Jax the single best location in america, it’s a battleground state, a battleground county, with extremely competent Republican government, low COVID-19 transmission rates, and a history of dealing with large scale short notice events," Black said. "For example, we have dealt with multiple back-to-back hurricanes, we’ve dealt with the pandemic, we have a demonstrated record of being able to handle recent protests effectively, we have the infrastructure. For all those reasons, we started the movement #rnctojax to bring it to Jacksonville.”

Black also underscored the fact that the RNC could bring much-needed dollars into the local economy.

“The economic impact can not be understated either,” he said. " We are a great city, and this is an opportunity to showcase Jacksonville to the nation and the world.

While Black could not confirm how many cities are being considered, or what other cities are in the running, he said the likelihood “looks really, really, really good for Jacksonville.”

The RNC is scheduled for Aug. 24 through 27. 2,550 delegates will vote on who will represent the Republican Party in the 2020 presidential election.

Originally, the convention was scheduled for Charlotte, North Carolina, but those plans have been upended due to COVID-19 complications.

Understandably, the Duval GOP Chairman was enthusiastic about bringing the heads of his party to Jacksonville.

“This would be the greatest event to hit Jacksonville since the Super Bowl,” Black said. " Not only is it a great event, but it is going to be a tremendous moment in American history, and it would play out in Jacksonville."