Denver to host Demos convention

NEW YORK — Democrats selected Denver to host their 2008 presidential convention, turning down New York in favor of a problematic but enthusiastic bid from a city in the increasingly Democratic Rocky Mountain West.

"Given the West's winning history, it's fitting that the next president of the United States will be nominated in Denver in 2008 and will be introduced to the American people in the Rocky Mountains," party chairman Howard Dean told reporters on a conference call with Colorado officials.

Utah State Democratic Party Chair Wayne Holland, Jr. issued the following statement regarding the selection:

"Chairman Dean's selection of Denver to host the 2008 convention means that the next Democratic president of the United Sates will be introduced to the American people in the heart of the West.

"The values of the West are America's values. They are Democratic values. We look forward to an historic Democratic convention that will launch our party's nominee on the path to the White House next year."

Denver mounted a spirited effort to win the convention, organizing a sophisticated public relations campaign and enlisting help from Democratic lawmakers throughout the West. But the bid was fraught with logistical problems, among them a lack of close-in hotel rooms, its ability to raise the necessary $55 million to run the convention and serious labor concerns.

The city's bid was nearly scuttled last month when the influential stagehands union refused to agree not to strike if the convention was held at the nonunion Pepsi Center.

In the end, Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean enlisted the help of labor leaders in Washington, including AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union. A compromise was negotiated to staff the Pepsi Center entirely with union labor for the duration of the convention, effectively taking the last major obstacle off the table.

Dean acknowledged that there were some labor issues still to be worked out, and there was no evidence that hosting a political convention in a particular geographic region boosted a presidential candidate's chances of victory in that region.

Still, Dean said, the choice of Denver reflected his commitment to building the party nationally.

"It's important, in politics, to put your money where your mouth is," Dean said. "I've said consistently we want to have a fifty-state strategy."