WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — For the first time in his years as a U.S. Senator, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is opting out of attending the Republican National Convention in Florida later this summer.
"The first time in my years as a senator, and you can count every four years, I suppose this might be the tenth or eleventh one, I'm not going to go," said Grassley in a call with Iowa reporters this week. "And I'm not going to go because of the virus situation."
When asked if moving the convention from North Carolina to Florida, where virus activity has recently spiked, was a good idea, Grassley was adamant that a convention should be held.
"I would say that North Carolina didn't feel like it was safe to gather there and going to a place where the governor feels it's safe, I think we should go there," said Grassley. "I think we should have a convention. I think you should do whatever you can to make it as safe as possible, so that would be with face masks and social distancing."
Grassley is the second-oldest member of the Senate; he is 86 years old. As of right now, no other Republican member of Congress has announced they will not attend the GOP convention.