The Republican National Committee is expected to finalize the selection at its annual summer meeting on Friday in Austin, Texas. | Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo RNC panel recommends Charlotte for 2020 convention

A Republican National Committee panel on Wednesday voted to recommend Charlotte, N.C. as the site of the 2020 GOP Convention, where the party is expected to nominate President Donald Trump for reelection.

The committee is expected to finalize the selection at its annual summer meeting on Friday in Austin, Texas, according to a senior Republican familiar with the talks.


The decision effectively caps a year-long, behind-the-scenes search. At the outset, seven cities expressed interest in holding the convention. By spring the committee quickly narrowed the choice down to two: Charlotte and Las Vegas.

Several people familiar with the decision said the party chose Charlotte for several reasons. The city, they said, had a sufficient number of hotel rooms to host a major party convention, demonstrated the ability to raise the needed funds to host the event, and boasted of a major airport.

Ron Kaufmann, an influential Massachusetts committeeman who oversaw the search, has been traveling to Charlotte over the past several weeks to meet with city officials.

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Several officials with Trump’s reelection campaign, including Brad Parscale and Michael Glassner, were also involved in the talks surrounding the Charlotte pick.

The search, however, was not without speed bumps. On Monday, the Charlotte City Council voted narrowly to approve plans to host the convention. Within the overwhelmingly Democratic city, there has been some resistance to holding what is expected to be a Trump-focused convention.

Charlotte will host a major party convention for the second time in three presidential election cycles. In 2012, Democrats nominated then-President Barack Obama for reelection.

That the city had a proven track record, one party official said, was a factor in the committee’s decision.

The RNC has yet to set a date for the convention.

Democrats have yet to announce the site of their 2020 convention, though they have narrowed their choices to Houston, Miami Beach, and Milwaukee. Democrats have scheduled their convention to take place between July 16 and July 20.

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