After a meeting via conference call, the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) Site Selection Committee selected Cleveland, Dallas, Denver and Kansas City as contenders to receive official site visits for the 2016 Republican National Convention.
Representing the next phase in the process, the site visits will allow key RNC officials and the full Site Selection Committee to tour cities and venues vying to host the annual convention. The committee’s decision was based on an extensive review of bids, presentations and reports compiled from technical visits to each city.
In April, the committee narrowed the search from eight cities down to six.
Prior to the vote, Cincinnati respectfully withdrew their bid from the process, based upon the criteria set forth by the RNC for the main arena. Las Vegas also respectfully withdrew their 2016 bid based on the RNC’s criteria for a traditional arena facility and enough on-site preparatory time to accommodate the 2016 convention.
After receiving notification from Cincinnati and Las Vegas, the committee conducted votes on the remaining cities and determined each would receive a visit. A further announcement will be made regarding the time and dates for the official visits to the remaining cities.
Following the meeting of the Site Selection Committee, Chairwoman Enid Mickelsen released this statement:
“Today, the committee determined that Cleveland, Dallas, Denver and Kansas City will receive official visits from the full RNC site selection delegation. All cities excelled in nearly every aspect of their bids and presentation this year, but these four cities stood out from the field from the start of this process and deserve a deeper look by the full committee.
“Prior to the committee’s vote, Cincinnati and Las Vegas notified the RNC that they would no longer pursue their bid to host the 2016 convention. While the committee understands their decision, both cities made a compelling case for 2016 and would make excellent hosts should they pursue efforts to host a future RNC convention.
“I applaud the effort and commitment shown by all cities involved, and I thank all parties for their dedication to this endeavor. The 2016 convention will provide a unique opportunity to showcase our party as well as the host city itself, and I’m confident we will choose the best possible setting to nominate our next Republican president.”
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