get ready to march. I'll be there for sure.
Republicans pick Twin Cities for GOP Convention
Pioneer Press staff and Associated Press
Republicans have chosen the Twin Cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul over Cleveland and other cities for the 2008 presidential convention, GOP officials said Wednesday. The announcement was news to Jack Larson, general manager of the Xcel Energy Center and a vice president of the Minnesota Wild. "We're waiting to hear ourselves," he said. "We're waiting for the phone calls to come in right now." He said there would likely be some announcement in St. Paul this afternoon.
St. Paul mayoral spokesman Bob Hume confirmed there would be an announcement this afternoon at Xcel Energy Center. "We're thrilled," he said. "This is going to be a summer of national attention for the Twin Cities," he said.
The choice of the Twin Cities would provide a major political punch for the GOP, capturing the media markets in Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota - all battleground states in the 2004 election.
Others losing out were New York City and a joint bid from Tampa and St. Petersburg, Fla., cities that had sought the GOP convention.
The four-day event will be held at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., home of the hockey team.
The Twin Cities also are in the running for the Democratic national convention.
The Democrats plan to hold their convention Aug. 25-28, 2008, and the Republicans will meet a few days later on Sept. 1-4.
The Democrats, who last met in Boston, will announce a decision later this fall. A spokesman said 11 sites expressed interest in having the party's convention, but only four completed the proposals. New Orleans later withdrew its bid, leaving Denver, New York City and Minneapolis-St. Paul.
The GOP held its last convention in New York City, where GOP delegates nominated President Bush for a second term.
The last national convention in the Twin Cities was in 1892, when the GOP backed President Benjamin Harrison in an unsuccessful re-election bid. |
