CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Republicans are ready to formally nominate President Donald Trump for reelection at a scaled-down convention kickoff in Charlotte, N.C., that begins a weeklong effort to convince voters in Ohio and the rest of the nation that he deserves a second term.
Ohio GOP leaders are trying to present a united front heading into its national convention, following a week when one of the party’s best-known politicians – former governor John Kasich — threw his support behind Democrat Joe Biden, the Republican state attorney general challenged the administration over proposed changes to the Postal Service and the president himself took on an iconic company headquartered in the state.
GOP Chairwoman Jane Timken voices confidence that Trump will build momentum in the state over the next week.
The state’s 18 electoral votes are crucial to Trump, who’s facing a tight battle after an 8-point 2016 win.
Despite the ongoing pandemic, delegates will hold an in-person roll-call vote at the Charlotte Convention Center.
It’s a sharp contrast to the approach of Democrats, who created a video montage from states across the country to avoid a large-scale gathering at their well-received virtual convention last week.