WASHINGTON (AP) — Cleveland remains the only Ohio city in
contention to host the 2016 Republican National Convention, after
Cincinnati formally withdrew its bid.
The Republican National
Committee made the announcement Thursday, paring down its list from six
to four. The other cities still in the running besides Cleveland are
Dallas, Denver and Kansas City.
Prior to the RNC committee’s vote,
Las Vegas also formally withdrew its bid. Columbus, Ohio, was dropped
from the list in an earlier round.
Republican officials plan to pick the host city by late summer.
"We
are thrilled that Cleveland has been named a finalist to host the 2016
convention," said Ohio Republican Party Chairman Matt Borges. "We now
look forward to doing all we can to bring the convention to Cleveland."
Cleveland
was a convention runner-up for Republicans in 2008 and Democrats in
2012, bested by St. Paul, Minnesota, and Charlotte.
Ohio
originally had three cities bidding for the convention, looking to
reassert its political clout. But it faced some challenges against
fast-growing states with newer infrastructure and a more diverse
electorate.
In a statement, Cincinnati officials said they
withdrew their bid after failing to meet RNC criteria regarding adequate
convention facilities.
"We’re disappointed that Cincinnati wasn’t
able to continue to the next round but we’re so proud we had the
opportunity to participate in this very competitive process," said John
Barrett, who led the committee bidding for the convention in Cincinnati
and is chairman of Western Southern Financial Group. "It may not be our
time to host the Convention in 2016, but I’m confident — especially with
the groundwork that has been laid in this process — that we’ll have
that opportunity in the future."
Ohio has voted for the winning
presidential candidate in every election since 1964, and no Republican
has ever taken the White House without the state.
However, Ohio has not
hosted a national political convention since 1936.
Cleveland
officials say they are hopeful they can land the convention, having made
improvements in recent years to build the city’s transportation and
hotel networks.
"Today’s announcement offers further proof of the
enormous progress we have made here in Cleveland and across all of
Northeast Ohio," said Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald. "There is
no doubt that our city’s renaissance is fully underway, and I thank
Mayor Jackson and the members of our respective councils for supporting
this effort. I look forward to offering my full support to the Cleveland
2016 Host Committee as we continue preparations for the next steps in
this process."