GOP to debate pushing convention hosting schedule forward after 2020 COVID interruption

@SoDakCampaigns

Remember the last GOP Convention, where due to COVID, the event held every two years which was set for Watertown was canceled in lieu of a largely on-line event where people gathered behind screens and in small venues? And even in those venues of reduced size, attendees still managed to pick up the highly transmissible disease according to reports.

After Watertown was cheated by circumstance out of the 2020 event because of the pandemic and a COVID Convention was held instead, the following convention (2022) was previously scheduled to be held in Rapid City in 2022.  However, it appears as if this schedule may come under some debate and a do over will be the topic of further discussion by the Republican State Central Committee – the governing body of the South Dakota Republican Party – on Saturday in Chamberlain.

Word went out from the SDGOP earlier this month that a request had been made for a motion to be debated at the next Central Committee meeting to reset the convention hosting schedule and give Watertown the opportunity to host the 2020 State Party Convention they were cheated out of due to the need to break up the convention into socially distant gatherings for COVID.

As I’m told, a motion will be brought to move the schedule forward, giving the convention back to Watertown for 2022, and then committing to Rapid City following in 2024, in effect, pushing things down the line for 2 years.  Of course, this move is not likely to come without controversy. Considering it involves Rapid City, nothing about politics in the state’s second-largest community is without controversy.

I’m more surprised this was not discussed at the time of the last convention but trying to organize last years’ event as a virtual conference was complex enough without throwing in people quibbling about pushing everything back two years.

I do think that it’s only fair to Watertown to at least explore the option of giving them back what COVID took away.  A convention on the Eastern side of the state will likely have better attendance, which is a plus for the Governor’s re-election year (as well as for the nomination of Constitutional Officers).

Further helping the conversation in Watertown’s favor is the fact that Rapid City Hotels summer rates are among the most expensive in the state. Even with convention rates, I believe last time a GOP Convention was out there several years back, if memory serves, they were $200+ a night for the main hotel. I don’t even want to know what it’s going to be after taxes for 2022.

I’m not a Central Committee member, so my opinion is a bit of a moot point. It’s up to them what they’d like to do, and I’m sure they will be presented with much more information in terms of pros and cons.

In anticipation of a strong attendance for the Central Committee Meeting, I am told that the GOP is hosting a shooting event (Trap & Target) on Friday afternoon, and if you want to get in on that, you can send a note to the chairman and let him know you want to attend.

Otherwise, here is a schedule of events as sent out by the party earlier this month:

Schedule of Events (all times Central)

Friday – June 25th
5 to 7 pm Members Reception
Arrowwood Resort Missouri Winds Room
1500 Shoreline Drive
Oacoma, South Dakota 57365
Members of the South Dakota Republican Party and their guests at Missouri Winds located at the Arrowwood Resort and Conference Center

Saturday – June 26th
10 am Central Committee Business Meeting
Arrowwood Conference Center
1500 Shoreline Drive
Oacoma, South Dakota 57365
SDGOP State Central Committee Members of the South Dakota Republican Party regular business meeting with a vote on 2022 State Convention location

12 pm Lunch served during meeting
please RSVP by emailing [email protected]

Stay tuned – lots more to come!

6 thoughts on “GOP to debate pushing convention hosting schedule forward after 2020 COVID interruption”

  1. Also note Watertown was already chosen by us on the site selection committee for 2024. Site selection thought this was the easiest and fairest thing to do. There of course will be other factors we will discuss Saturday.

  2. Some things make sense to always be in Sioux Falls or Rapid City (state basketball tournaments) and some things make sense to never be in these big cities (central committee meetings and state conventions).

  3. Both Rapid City and Watertown should get a chance to host. Makes no difference who gets what year but Watertown shouldn’t be left out just because of COVID.

    P.S. Rapid City summer rates are higher than other places in the state because everyone wants to be here 😉

  5. if 70 people attended the Rapid City remote site last year, and only one of them tested positive for Covid, that would suggest Ed Randazzo caught it somewhere else, wouldn’t it? And the precautions in place at the event prevented it from spreading? There’s nothing the press likes better than to declare a Republican gathering to be a “super spreader” event but since we didn’t hear any more about it I think it is safe to assume nobody else fell ill. We didn’t hear any more about it and the press went on the declare that everybody who attended the July 4 celebrations at Mt Rushmore was going to die instead.

    One major consideration of site selection is cost. Every dollar spent on a convention is a dollar that isn’t going to be donated to a candidate’s campaign. While a convention provides exposure for statewide candidates, it doesn’t do much for the down ballot races. If delegates spend too much money on motel rooms, that cuts into what they will be willing to donate to their local candidates.

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