The Democratic National Committee on Monday announced that Philadelphia was one of three finalists in consideration for hosting the 2016 convention.
The decision is now between Philadelphia, Brooklyn and Columbus, OH. Phoenix, AZ, and Birmingham, Ala., were eliminated with Monday’s announcement.
The new was welcomed by local and state leaders.
“I’ve said before that for the Democrats, the road to the White House leads right through the city of Philadelphia,” said Mayor Michael Nutter. “We’re unquestionably the best site for the convention – we have the best venue, a vibrant and easily accessible Center City, and a team that knows how to stage major events like political conventions. It’s great to be a finalist, and now we have to do all that we can to close the deal and make sure that Philadelphia wins the bid.”
Former Gov. Ed Rendell, chair of PHL-DNC, cautioned that the city has a lot of work to do before securing the bid.
“It’s great to make the finals, but it’s still a wide-open competition, and we must use the time between now and the announcement of the winner to make it clear that Philadelphia is the very best choice for the Democrats in 2016,” Rendell said. “Now is the time for the city and the entire region to work in partnership to win the bid.”