Cincinnati made the first cut of cities vying for the 2016 Republican National Convention, the Republican National Committee (RNC) announced this afternoon.
Eight cities from around the country made formal presentations to the RNC’s site selection committee last month; and two of them were eliminated by the committee today – Columbus and Phoenix.
But Cincinnati, which wants to hold the convention at US Bank Arena, was one of six to survive the first cut – a list that also included Cleveland.
The other cities making the cut were Dallas, Denver, Kansas City and Las Vegas.
“I’m delighted,’’ said Hamilton County Republican Party chairman Alex Triantafilou, who is a leader of Cincy2016, the committee working on bringing the convention here. “We’re still alive
Members of Cincy2016, in a press conference at city hall this afternoon, said that Cincinnati will get an official visit from the RNC soon.
A press release from Cincy2016 said the RNC "will travel to Cincinnati to conduct a technical site visit where they will take an in-depth assessment of our area's financing, convention venues, media workspace, and hotels."
Enid Mickelsen, who chairs the site selection committee, said the committee conducted a “painstaking review” of all eight cities’ applications.
“The eyes of the world will be on the RNC and our host city in the summer of 2016, and these six cities have shown they have what it takes to move forward,’’ Mickelsen said.
A final decision on which city will land the convention is not expected until late summer or early fall.
Dan Lincoln, president and CEO of the Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau, who was a key player in putting together Cincinnati's bid, said in a written statement that he is "more confident than ever" that Cincinnati will land the convention.
"We felt all along that Cincinnati has one of the most competitive bids in this process,'' Lincoln said.
The convention would bring between 50,000 to 65,000 people to the city; and would likely generate somewhere in the neighborhood of $200 million for area businesses.
The Cincy2016 presentation to the RNC made the point that 41 percent of the delegates and alternates could be housed in hotels within walking distance of US Bank Arena.
The rest would have no more than a 15 to 20 minute shuttle bus ride to the convention site.
Matt Borges, the chairman of the Ohio Republican Party, put out a statement today saying the state party would "do everything we can to support Cincinnati's and Cleveland's bids for the convention."
"While we are disappointed that Columbus did not advance, today's results make it clear that Ohio is an important state with vibrant cities,'' Borges said.
