Poll: Most Jacksonville Voters Don’t Want RNC To Host Convention In Their City

US President Donald Trump speaks after his introduction by RNC Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel at a fundraising breakfast in a restaurant in New York, New York on December 2, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / MANDEL NGAN (... US President Donald Trump speaks after his introduction by RNC Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel at a fundraising breakfast in a restaurant in New York, New York on December 2, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / MANDEL NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images) MORE LESS
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The GOP has decided to move its headliner events at the Republican National Convention in August to Jacksonville, Florida, but apparently a majority of the city’s voters would rather they didn’t.

On Wednesday morning, the University of North Florida (UNF) released a poll conducted by the university’s Public Opinion Research Lab in which 2,499 registered voters in Duval County were asked if they support or oppose their main city hosting the event.

Nearly 60 percent of voters said they opposed it, with 11 percent saying they were “somewhat” opposed and a full 47 percent stating that they were “strongly” opposed.

On the other side, 42 percent of voters said they approved of having the convention in their state. 14 percent told pollsters they “somewhat support” the move, while 28 percent said they “strongly support” it.

A vast majority of voters said they were concerned about COVID-19 transmission caused by the enormous convention, with 71 percent telling UNF that they were “very” or “somewhat” worried. And a little over 60 percent of voters said they were worried about the protests the RNC may spark.

UNF pollsters held the survey on June 17-22 via email, with an error margin of +/- 1.95 percentage points.

The three-day convention will begin on August 24.

Charlotte, North Carolina was initially slated to host the RNC before President Donald Trump withdrew the event after Gov. Roy Cooper (D) refused to promise that the convention space could be filled at full capacity. Several of the convention’s routine, less high-profile meetings will still be held in Charlotte, but Trump’s prized speech and the other more glitzy events will be hosted in Jacksonville.

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Notable Replies

  1. The GOP decided to move its headliner events at the Republican National Convention in August to Jacksonville, Florida, but a majority of the city’s voters would rather they didn’t.

    When was the last time the GOP cared about what the majority of the voters wanted?

  2. “Most Jacksonville Voters Don’t Want RNC To Host Convention In Their City.”

    They are particularly upset that they will be required to rename their city Nuremberg.

  3. Gee wiz, I can’t understand why the voters wouldn’t want it there.

  4. I doubt there is a city capable of holding the convention that wouldn’t feel the same right now. He loves the adoring feedback so much he’s only listening to the vocal rubes, not realizing even most of his base is genuinely afraid of this thing.

    What is the Dem plan for the convention? Are they doing it virtually or live or scrapping it all together? They don’t matter nearly as much as they once did. I’m fine with just scrapping it.

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