WASHINGTON D.C. -- Iowa Senator Charles Grassley is skipping this year's Republican National Convention.
The 86-year-old Grassley says he's not going to the Jacksonville, Florida event next month out of concerns over COVID-19.
He says it's the first time he's missed a convention since being elected to the Senate in 1980.
This year's Republican National Convention is scheduled for August 24th through the 27th.
It was moved from Charlotte, North Carolina, after a dispute between President Trump's re-election campaign and the state's Democratic governor over social distancing guidelines.
In his role as Senate President Pro Tem, Grassley is third in line for the U.S. presidency behind Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Grassley is the oldest sitting member of the U.S. Senate.