At least 4 GOP senators say they'll skip the Republican National Convention this year

2016 Republican national Convention.
(Image credit: John Moore/Getty Images)

A growing number of Republicans don't want to party with their party this year.

As of Tuesday, four GOP senators have said they won't be attending the Republican National Convention next month. Their announcements come as COVID-19 cases continue to spike in Florida and North Carolina, but not all of those senators are attributing their decisions to the virus.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the oldest member of the Senate, told the Des Moines Register on Tuesday he wouldn't attend the convention for the first time in his Senate career. "And I'm not going to go because of the virus situation," he said. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said she never goes to conventions when she's up for re-election, and thus would be skipping this year. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) is also reportedly planning to skip, per CBS News' Caitlin Huey-Burns.

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Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) only passively acknowledged the virus when saying he wouldn't attend. "He believes the delegate spots should be reserved for those who have not had that privilege before," said a statement from Alexander's team. The GOP decided to limit the number of delegates who will come to cast their votes in Charlotte, North Carolina, to 336, down from the usual number of 2,500. Meanwhile President Trump wants his keynote address, which will happen in Jacksonville, Florida, to bring together an audience of 10,000.

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Kathryn Krawczyk

Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.