California Republicans Head to Charlotte for Mostly Virtual RNC Convention

California's Republican Party leadership will make a brief trip to Charlotte, NC this week for the Republican National Convention, before the party's convention programming largely shifts to the virtual format employed by the Democrats last week.

The strictly regulated gathering of delegates, and the plans for remote speeches from President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, reflect party leadership adapting to the difficulties of conducting a safe in-person gathering during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A full list of convention speakers was released Sunday, and will reportedly feature President Trump speaking each night.

"I think they did the right thing" hosting a virtual convention, said Corrin Rankin, a Trump delegate from Redwood City. "I mean, I'm super disappointed that I'm not able to attend this year. I'm sure everybody feels the same way. But this is where we’re at right now."

Rankin knows all too well the planning needed for an in-person event during the coronavirus era. In June, she attended a Trump rally in Tulsa that drew criticism for drawing thousands of supporters indoors as the spread of the coronavirus increased.

"I felt safe, but I did learn that there's a lot that goes into that behind the scenes, just to ensure that everyone's safe," Rankin said, who also serves as an advisory board member for the group Black Voices for Trump. 

At the rally, she was virus tested and screened for fever, but that would have to be conducted at a much larger scale during a multiday political convention.

"It's a lot of work, so I can understand why they chose to have smaller conventions this year," she added. 

The increased testing and safety protocols will carry over to Monday's meeting of Republican officials in Charlotte.

The Queen City was initially scheduled to host the Republican convention. Then it was moved to Jacksonville and, in the wake of the pandemic, much of the proceedings were scrapped.

However, unlike the Democrats, the GOP is still bringing officials together in-person to conduct a delegate roll-call.

"I don't expect there to be a ton of pomp and circumstance there because we're going to be in an arena. It's going to be socially distanced," said Harmeet Dhillon, an RNC committeewoman from California. 

Dhillon, who said she had to take a COVID-19 test and register any symptoms before arriving in North Carolina, will cast President Trump's Northern California delegates by proxy.

Despite the physical gathering of leading party officials, the lack of an in-person convention program could prove disappointing to some top party donors, Dhillon said.

"They were looking forward to their usual convention experience and having their special role and special treatment there. And they're not going to have that," Dhillon said. "These are obviously people who support the president regardless. But, you know, there's always a concern that without that experience, when you hit them up for a contribution again, there will be a little bit of a psychological barrier to it." 

Dhillon expressed confidence that the energy of President Trump's rallies would easily translate to a virtual setting.

"People are absolutely hungry to hear from the president in a non-COVID press conference setting," she added. 

The party's programming is likely to feature a lot less focus on California than last week's Democratic convention, which included speeches from officials across the state — capped by Sen. Kamala Harris' acceptance of the vice-presidential nomination.

Instead, California will likely be mentioned as a foil, even by Golden State speakers like Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, the House Minority leader, who will deliver an address on Thursday.

The Democratic convention was focused on "trying to spill those San Francisco values on the rest of the country," McCarthy told Fox News Radio last week. 

"If you go to San Francisco, let me tell you, sky-high taxes, you’ve got a sanctuary city, and you’ve got sidewalks that nobody wants to walk upon," McCarthy said. "That is what we do not need for America."