Las Vegas? Will they have a cowboy poetry festival also?
Via The Hill
Republicans may be choosing between gambling or pot when they pick their 2016 convention site.
Las Vegas has emerged as the clear early front-runner to host the party’s next presidential nomination convention despite its “Sin City” reputation. Denver is seen as another serious contender, though the city’s “Mile High City” moniker had taken on a different connotation since Colorado legalized marijuana last election.
The choice between the two cities — both in crucial swing states the GOP needs to win — had a few RNC members nervous about potential scandals during this past week’s winter meeting, but most were chortling about their choices and the stereotypes of each potential host city.
“Las Vegas — I don’t know, you know? And Colorado’s going to put in a bid. We’re going to have a big pot party out there?” former Ohio Republican Party Chairman Bob Bennett told The Hill with a laugh.
“You could make an argument for that — have all the delegates come out and get high. Save on booze, come out and smoke on Colorado,” joked Bennett.
The Ohio committeeman is lobbying for a city in his state to get the nod — either Columbus, which is making a strong play for the convention, or Cleveland, which may put in a bid. But he admitted Las Vegas had a lot to offer, and that some of the old stigma of gambling and strippers had worn off.
“When you put the strippers in there — it used to be gambling, now every city that’s making a bid has some kind of gambling in it,” said Bennett. “The thing about Vegas… is they can handle conventions, they handle them every year.”
Both the Nevada and Colorado cities were making strong plays to win over committee members this week. The RNC meeting was sponsored by “Las Vegas 2016,” which furnished wifi, couches and two open bars for attendees.
Colorado Republicans, meanwhile, handed out swag bags complete with Denver Broncos coolers, Colorado Rockies hats, beer from Coors and Native Colorado, and literature on tourist destinations in the area (head shops not included).
Other cities making a push at the winter meetings: Columbus, Ohio, Kansas City, Mo. and Phoenix, Ariz. The RNC chose its site selection committee Friday morning, which will recommend a city in future months.
Many other Republicans were joking about Las Vegas’s reputation and Colorado’s new law, but most praised the Nevada city’s ability to hold conventions, and didn’t run down Denver either. A big draw of Las Vegas is its plentiful, walkable hotels —something sorely lacking at both parties’ 2012 conventions in Tampa and Charlotte.