Washington, DC— Today, DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz announced Philadelphia will host the 2016 Democratic National Convention the week of July 25, 2016. The DNC signed the final contract with Philadelphia this morning.

“I am thrilled to announce that Philadelphia will host the convention where we will nominate the 45th President of the United States,” Wasserman Schultz said. “In addition to their commitment to a seamless and safe convention, Philadelphia’s deep rooted place in American history provides a perfect setting for this special gathering. I cannot wait to join Democrats across the country to celebrate our shared values, lay out a Democratic vision for the future, and support our nominee.”

The DNC’s Technical Advisory Group evaluated cities across the country, looking at factors such as hotel capacity, transportation, security, financing and logistics. Continue Reading...

Following visits to Columbus and Philadelphia earlier this week, DNC Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz visited Brooklyn today:

New York City made its final pitch Friday to host the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Brooklyn.

Mayor Bill de Blasio met with Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), the Democratic National Committee’s chairwoman, who toured the Barclays Center, the arena at the center of the city’s proposal.
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“I know it’s highly competitive,” de Blasio told reporters at an unrelated news conference. “I know we’re coming down to the wire.” Continue Reading...

This just in from the DNC…

Dear DNC Member,

Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz will announce today the 2016 Democratic  National Convention will be held the week of July 25, 2016.  The Committee is still in final contract negotiations to decide a host city for the convention and will announce the decision in the coming weeks.  Continue Reading...

Officials in Columbus seem to think so:

Columbus might up end hosting the 2016 Democratic National Convention, in part because of another city’s problems.

City officials and Democrats statewide said this week that the turmoil in New York City between Mayor Bill de Blasio and the NYPD union has all but spoiled that city’s shot at getting the convention. Continue Reading...

And then there were three:

Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz today announced the finalist cities under consideration to host the 2016 Democratic National Convention: Columbus, New York, and Philadelphia. The announcement comes after a round of site visits by the DNC’s Technical Advisory Group to five cities.

“We’re thrilled to move to the next step of the selection process to determine where Democrats will come together to nominate the 45th President of the United States,” said Wasserman Schultz. “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. We look forward to working with Columbus, New York, and Philadelphia as we go forward.” Continue Reading...

Birmingham remains on the Democrats’ official list of possible convention sites. But given the realities of presidential politics and the perceived limits of a city of 212,000, almost no one is expecting it to beat out the other finalists: Columbus, Ohio; Philadelphia; Phoenix; and New York City.
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Yet for all of the gentle skepticism and outright mockery, supporters of the bid are adamant that the competition does not have a foregone conclusion. At minimum, Birmingham backers say, this city’s place in the national convention conversation has given it an injection of confidence. “The fact that we’ve had a unified effort and the community has challenged itself and tested itself to think big about something like this, it’s a better community for having gone through the process,” said Brian Hilson, the president of the Birmingham Business Alliance. –NY Times

Markos Moulitsas recently announced that Daily Kos will not take part in Netroots Nation 2015 which will take place in Phoenix. He expands his call for Democrats to stay away from the city.

And then there’s Phoenix, and unless Democrats want to stir up the same raw emotions and divisiveness that Netroots Nation did with their choice for that locale, it should be avoided like the plague.

With the exception of Birmingham, which is an odd addition to the list, the other four cities would unite our party and allow us to focus on the task at hand—retaining the White House, expanding our Senate majority and taking back the House. Let’s focus on the places that unite us, not consider places that divide. Continue Reading...