UPDATE: The cancellation of the Texas Republican Party has already led to one lawsuit, with conservative Houston attorney Jared Woodfill filing suit late last night against Mayor Turner.
Montgomery County Judge Mark Keough is offering his county to the party for an in-person convention next week.
State GOP chairman James Dickey says the party is considering all options, including legal ones, in response to the cancellation.
EARLIER: The cancel culture strikes again. Houston's Democratic Mayor Sylvester Turner on Wednesday said the Texas Republican Party has been informed next week's convention has been canceled over COVID-19 concerns.
Earlier Wednesday, the mayor cited a letter from the city's public health director, in telling city council his intentions to shut down the event.
"It is a letter that as the mayor of the City of Houston I simply cannot ignore or overlook," he said Wednesday. "And my number one priority is the health and safety of the people in this city."
Mayor Turner said he ordered his legal team to work with Houston First Corporation to find provisions in their contract with the Texas GOP that would allow him to cancel the event.
"The plan is to exercise those provisions to cancel this agreement, this contract, today and to not go forward with this convention."The state GOP fired back saying it has complied with all of the city's COVID-19 protocols, adding "Mayor Turner will allow thousands to protest in the streets, and is now denying a political party's critical electoral function that should be equally protected under the constitution."
"Mayor Turner's hypocritical flip flop on public gatherings is a political stunt. While he joined in massive marches in the streets last month, he has now blocked Republican grassroots activists from peaceably assembling even under the most stringent health safeguards. The Mayor should not abuse power for political ends," said Harris County Republican Party Chairman Paul Simpson.