The Republican Party has picked Cleveland as the site of its 2016 convention, pending final approval of the site selection committee’s recommendation and successful contract negotiations with the host city.
“A Cleveland convention offers our party a great steppingstone to the White House in 2016, and I’m encouraged by the committee’s recommendation. The team from Cleveland has gone above and beyond the call of duty and I think they’re representative of a city eager to show the country all the fantastic things they have to offer,” Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus said about the selection of the swing-state city.
“The RNC set a new standard for conventions during this process. Not only will the convention be held earlier in 2016, but there are also substantial guarantees in place for funding that put us well ahead of previous conventions and will give our nominee the best opportunity to succeed,” Priebus added.
He gave a shout out to Dallas, which had also been in the running and lobbied for the convention. “The hospitality shown by their city, their team and the Republican community in Dallas has been tremendous,” the chairman said.
Site Selection Chairwoman Enid Mickelsen said the committee “was tasked with difficult decisions and was presented with several strong options to host our convention.”
“I’m confident Cleveland is the right pick for our next national convention,” Mickelsen said. “Cleveland has demonstrated they have the commitment, energy, and terrific facilities to help us deliver a history-making Republican convention.”
Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) called the selection “great news for Cleveland and our entire state.”
“It’s a unique opportunity to showcase the new Cleveland as one of America’s great cities, and to bring dollars and jobs to Ohio. I am really proud of the way the Cleveland community has come together to support the first national convention in Ohio since 1936,” Portman said in a statement. “The Cleveland community deserves the credit for making it happen. I’ll continue to work closely with the Cleveland host committee and the RNC regarding convention planning to help whenever I can to ensure this is a successful convention.”
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