MILWAUKEE-- The chairman of the Democratic National Committee said that he fully expects his party to hold an in person convention in Milwaukee this summer, amid growing coronavirus concerns throughout the state.
Chairman Tom Perez made an appearance on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday, remaining optimistic that democrats will select their presumptive presidential nominee in the badger state.
"We’re not going to put our public health in the sand, but I’m optimistic that we can do so because we’ve put it off for five weeks," said Perez when referring to the convention's postponement.
Host committee officials announced in April that the four-day convention would be delayed from July 13 to August 17 because of the novel coronavirus, fueling speculation over potential alternatives.
"In our current climate of uncertainty, we believe the smartest approach is to take additional time to monitor how this situation unfolds so we can best position our party for a safe and successful convention," Joe Solmonese, CEO of the Democratic National Convention Committee, said in a statement.
The decision to postpone was announced after former Vice President Joe Biden said the convention would have to be postponed at least until August over COVID-19 concerns.
"I doubt whether the Democratic convention is going to be able to be held in mid-July, early July. I think it's going to have to move into August," Biden said in an interview with NBC's "The Tonight Show."
Republicans are expected to begin their convention on August 24 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
