Cleveland all but awarded 2016 GOP convention

Cleveland won the backing of a Republican National Committee panel on Tuesday, all but guaranteeing the GOP's 2016 presidential pick will accept the party's nomination in perennially hard-fought Ohio.

The Republicans' site selection committee backed Cleveland over donor-rich Dallas, and the full 168-member RNC is expected to ratify the choice next month. The move signals the role Ohio – and its 18 electoral votes – plays in presidential campaigns.

"As goes Ohio, so goes the presidential race," said party Chairman Reince Priebus.

The RNC did not announce a start date for the convention but Priebus said that June 28 or July 18, 2016, are the two options under consideration. An earlier-than-normal convention was a priority for Priebus, and leaders of Dallas' bid said the calendar was the main factor running against the Texas city.

"June is not an option for us," said former Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, who was involved in Dallas' bid. "Reince really wants June."

Paying for the convention was another priority. The previous two GOP conventions sapped party dollars during election years, and Priebus insisted the host city not leave the central party picking up the tab.

Although Dallas had the edge on fundraising as recently as last month, Cleveland narrowed that gap and lined up early pledges toward the expected $60 million price tag.

A successful convention is a boon not just to the political party, but also to the local economy.

In a post-convention report, organizers of Tampa, Florida's 2012 GOP convention said its $58 million in fundraising resulted in a $214 million direct economic impact. Some 50,000 activists, officials and reporters descended on the Tampa area for the convention, officials said.

"It provides us with an opportunity to showcase not only a great city, but a great state and a great message," Ohio GOP chairman Matt Borges said.

Organizers earlier eliminated bids from Denver; Cincinnati; Columbus, Ohio; Kansas City, Missouri; Las Vegas and Phoenix.

After Las Vegas was no longer in play, Dallas emerged as a major competitor, in part because of its coalition of wealthy donors with ties to the Bush family and the oil industry. Dallas hosted the 1984 Republican convention, and Texas is seen as a reliably GOP state in presidential elections.

But Cleveland has made an aggressive — and persuasive — pitch to host Republicans on the shores of Lake Erie. The city, once dubbed "The Mistake by the Lake" and who's polluted Cuyahoga River caught fire, has undergone dramatic redevelopment in recent years. Officials estimate that $4.5 billion in projects have been completed in the past decade or are about to begin construction.

"I've got to tell you: if you haven't been to Cleveland lately, it's a real surprise how beautiful it is down by that lake," Priebus said in announcing the decision on the Fox News Channel.

Ohio's allure as a political prize proved tempting. The last candidate to win the White House without Ohio was John F. Kennedy, a Democrat, in 1960.

Republicans have not won the state where it has staged a national convention since 1992, when President George H.W. Bush kicked off his re-election bid.

Cleveland last hosted the Republican convention in 1936. The GOP lost the state by 21 points. Cleveland also hosted the 1924 GOP convention and Republicans carried the state by 35 points.

In addition to the finances, officials are focused on each city's transportation and hotel plans. Tampa's convention forced many delegates — including major donors — into hotels an hour from the convention site and was reliant on buses.

Timing, too, was a factor for officials.

Priebus wanted the convention scheduled for early summer of 2016, roughly two months sooner than has become the norm. That would give the GOP's next presidential nominee quicker access to tens of millions of dollars in general election cash.

"The candidate can be broke but they're not able to raise general election money until the convention is held," Priebus said.

Democrats, meanwhile, are on their own timeline for picking a venue. Democratic National Committee officials will begin site visits with a stop July 21 in Birmingham, Alabama. Other cities in contention are New York City; Philadelphia; Columbus, Ohio; and Phoenix.

Cleveland was a choice for Democrats, too. But if the full RNC ratifies Cleveland as its choice as expected, Democrats will drop Cleveland as an option.

DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz is expected to announce a host city either late this year or early in 2015.