Chuck Grassley may skip GOP convention partly due to hotel costs

WASHINGTON, April 20 (UPI) -- Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, facing re-election this year, says he is undecided if he will attend the Republican National Convention, citing home state political concerns — and the cost of hotels in Cleveland.

Grassley, who's earned a reputation for frugality, said often the GOP convention can divert needed time from re-election campaigns. Grassley told reporters on a conference call Tuesday he's attended every Republican convention since 1980, but is considering skipping this year's event in favor of campaigning in the Hawkeye State.

Part of the reason, he said, was the cost of booking a hotel when party dignitaries from across the country converge in one place, sending the cost of hotel rooms soaring.

Grassley said if he does go, it may only be for a portion of the week-long event.

"I will do something different and maybe stay in hotels or motels I can buy a night at a time," Grassley said.

It is common for senators facing re-election to skip their party's convention to campaign at home — and avoid the perception they would rather be hobnobbing with donors and Washington insiders than working to earn votes back home.

The prospect of Donald Trump winning the nomination has drawn additional attention to which GOP members of Congress are skipping the convention, hoping to distance themselves from the controversial candidate leading the field.

Bloomberg reports Sen. John McCain, who is also up for re-election in Arizona, has already said he will not attend the convention despite being the party's 2008 nominee. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murakowski, who narrowly won re-election after losing the GOP primary six years ago, also said she will not attend. Her Senate primary falls shortly after the GOP convention in July.