COLUMBUS, Ohio – Columbus has made it to the short list of cities being considered to host the Democratic Party’s next presidential nominating convention.
Democratic National Committee members on Monday selected the city as a finalist, along with Philadelphia and New York.
“We are fortunate to have such a diverse and vibrant group of cities interested in hosting this special event and we thank Phoenix and Birmingham for showcasing their special communities,” committee chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz said in a statement announcing the choices.
Party leaders are expected to select the winning convention site in December or early January.
“Columbus is a world-class, walkable city with great facilities and accommodations – all making it the ideal host for the 2016 Democratic Convention,” Sen. Sherrod Brown said after the announcement. “The convention will give the city a platform to display our state’s diverse and innovative capital city.”
The event attracts thousands of political operatives, donors and journalists to the host city picked every four years.
Columbus’ geography and location in a bellwether state are viewed as strengths, while its lack of a subway system is a drawback.
The city’s place on the short list retains the possibility that Ohio would play host to both parties’ conventions in the same year. Republicans have picked Cleveland as their convention site.
In an e-mail to Democratic Party supporters, Wasserman-Schultz said 2016 represents a chance to nominate a strong president candidate in the aftermath of midterm election defeats at the hands of the GOP.
“We will review what we’ve learned from 2014 and what we can do to make the coming years the best our party has ever had,” she wrote.
The decision eliminates Birmingham, Alabama, and Phoenix from the running.