The Republican National Committee has selected Cleveland and Dallas as finalists to host the 2016 Republican National Convention. Denver and Kansas City were eliminated.
RNC Site Selection Committee Chairwoman Enid Mickelsen issued a statement:
“After extensive review the site selection committee has chosen Cleveland and Dallas as finalists for the 2016 convention. Cleveland and Dallas demonstrated their ability to host a phenomenal convention in 2016, and the RNC is excited about the prospect of hosting our convention in either of these great cities. After visiting both cities, I can say to my fellow Republicans that we should be excited for the 2016 convention. These world class cities know how to roll out the welcome mat, and more importantly they have the ability to provide our next presidential nominee a launching pad that will put a Republican in the White House in 2016.
“The committee extends our sincere thanks and gratitude to Denver and Kansas City for their hard work and dedication to this effort. Both teams should be proud of their work. They were great ambassadors for their cities, and we felt fortunate to visit and get to know them. This was a tough decision for our committee because all four of these cities made excellent bids.
“As we move closer to choosing a host for our convention, I’m more confident than ever that we’ll have an outstanding partner to showcase our Party and our Republican nominee in 2016.”
The GOP has not won a state that hosted the convention since the 1992 election. Las Vegas, considered to be an early favorite to host the event, withdrew its bid following scheduling difficulties.