As of today it is official, the 2016 Republican National Convention will be held in Cleveland, Ohio. As you may recall, Dallas was the other remaining city on the list which lost the battle to Cleveland.
Report from the Cleveland Plain Dealer:
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Capping off a months-long lobbying effort, Cleveland will be the host of the 2016 Republican National Convention.
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus announced Cleveland as the location on the Fox News Channel in a live, on-air interview. The broadcast of the interview was immediately preceded by a tweet, which has since been deleted, from a spokesman for the Republican Governors Association.
“We’re excited about bringing the convention to Cleveland in Ohio, and we’re excited about the decision. We think it’s a smart decision,” Priebus said.
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It’s also believed that the expected June availability of Quicken Loans Arena, which will host floor events for the convention, played a role.
I’ve been thinking Ohio since we first started this discussion a few months ago. It makes the most sense as a Republican will not return to the White House without picking up some rust belt states as in 2004. Governors like Scott Walker (R-Wisconsin) and John Kasich (R-Ohio) have been proving fairly popular in recent years so the logical step is to try and build on their momentum at a national level.
As far as the dates go, it appears the RNC is looking sometime in June of 2016 so a nominee can be crowned and free from fundraising hurdles heading into the summer.
