More and more Senate Republicans are backing off attending Trump's Jacksonville convention

On Tuesday, Axios reported that a growing number of Senate Republicans are bowing out of attending President Donald Trump's renominating convention in Jacksonville, Florida.

According to the report, the five senators who have so far made clear their plan to skip the convention are Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), and Mitt Romney (R-UT).

"For some, like 86-year-old Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and 80-year-old Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), the decision not to attend underscores broader concerns about holding mass gatherings in the coronavirus era," said the report. "For others, like Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), the nominating convention for President Trump is politically unsavory."

The president forced the relocation of the convention to Jacksonville from Charlotte, North Carolina, after Gov. Roy Cooper was unwilling to relax COVID-19 safety guidelines to allow a full house at the venue. Florida is now experiencing a giant spike in cases.