The COVID-19 pandemic on Thursday disrupted the US presidential race when the Democratic Party was forced to postpone its national convention until Aug. 17, delaying the likely nomination of former US vice president Joe Biden to challenge US President Donald Trump for the White House.
The party was also faced with another wrinkle when a Wisconsin court refused to delay the state’s primary on Tuesday, despite warnings that the vote could put the health of thousands at risk.
Several other states have postponed their primaries due to coronavirus concerns, leaving the Democratic nomination in limbo just when it should be coming to a high-profile climax.
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The Democratic National Committee said that the coronavirus crisis has forced a five-week postponement of the convention, a grand affair that brings several thousand party luminaries together in one arena.
“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,” committee chief executive Joe Solmonese said in a statement.
The decision came after Biden said the convention originally scheduled for July 13 to 16 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, would probably need to be delayed.
Convention planners are to use the coming weeks to assess all options to reduce risks to health.
“These options include everything from adjusting the convention’s format to crowd size and schedule,” the statement said.
The Republican National Convention is scheduled for Aug. 24 to 27 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Biden, 77, signaled that his party would need to be prepared for alternatives if the pandemic persists or worsens.
“We don’t know what it’s going to be unless we have a better sense of whether this curve is going to move down or up,” Biden told NBC on Wednesday.
The Democratic nomination race has boiled down to moderate Biden, the front-runner, and self-declared democratic socialist US Senator Bernie Sanders, but with Biden expecting to land a hammer blow against his lone remaining rival, no primary has been held since March 17, the race is essentially stagnant.
Fifteen states and one territory have postponed primaries and are broadening vote-by-mail options.
Wisconsin is still scheduled to hold its primary on Tuesday, defying demands from political officials — and from Sanders — that the election be delayed.
“People should not be forced to put their lives on the line to vote,” Sanders said on Wednesday.
Biden suggested he was open to holding the vote.
“A convention having tens of thousands of people in one arena is very different than having people walk into a polling booth with accurate spacing six to 10 feet [1.8m to 3m] apart” and polling machines routinely disinfected, Biden said.
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