With Eye on Midwest in '08, GOP Picks Twin Cities for Convention

The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul will host the 2008Republican National Convention, the GOP announced Wednesday in anearly signal of the likely significance of the Midwest in the nextpresidential election.

Moving away from the coasts for the first time in 16 years -- and choosing the Twin Cities for the first time since 1892 -- theRepublicans also preempted the Democrats, who had narrowed their ownconvention selection to three sites, including Minneapolis-St. Paul.

The Democrats will now choose between New York and Denver, aspokeswoman said.

Steven Schier, a prominent Minnesota political commentator on thefaculty of Carleton College, said the timing and the tactics suggestthat the national Republican Party hopes to help its Minnesotacandidates this year and appeal to voters in a swath of battlegroundstates in 2008.

"This should not be considered just a Minnesota choice," he said."You've got three swing states: Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. We'revery much a battleground state. We were in '04 and we will be in'08. Same in Wisconsin, same in Iowa."

In 2004, President Bush squeaked past Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) in Iowa by 10,000 votes, while Kerry finished 11,000 votesahead of Bush in neighboring Wisconsin. Kerry beat Bush in Minnesotaby 100,000 votes out of 3 million cast. Even so, that Minnesota wascompetitive at all was a sign of changing times in a state that fordecades was dominated by nationally prominent Democrats such asHubert H. Humphrey, Eugene McCarthy and Walter F. Mondale.

Parties tend to consider convention locations a symbol, althoughthe effect is often minimal. In 1980, the last time the Republicanschose the Midwest, delegates convened in Detroit to highlight RonaldReagan's determination to win blue-collar votes, a successfulstrategy.

The GOP chose Philadelphia in 2000, hoping to boost Bush'schances in a tightly contested state, but he lost there in 2000 and2004.

This time around, Republicans had narrowed the choice to the TwinCities or Tampa after ruling out Cleveland. With memories ofHurricane Katrina still fresh, Florida's chances were hurt by thefact that the Sept. 1-4 convention comes in the heart of stormseason.

The Democrats, who expect to choose a host city by the end of theyear, will focus on two that have potentially serious liabilities,said one Democrat familiar with the search.

New York's principal drawback is its cost, while Denver's primaryproblem centers on its trade union status.

Although the Democrats see the Rocky Mountain West as an area ofpotential electoral growth, Denver has labor problems, including ashortage of union hotels. That could make it difficult for a partythat relies heavily on union campaign money and muscle to justifychoosing the Mile-High City as its host.

Officials from the party and the city are working to see if theseobstacles can be overcome.

As the political leadership of Minnesota and the Twin Citiescelebrated their victory on Wednesday, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman(D) said he thinks the Democrats would have chosen the Twin Citiesif Republicans hadn't. "The good news about the Republicans choosingus instead of the Democrats," Coleman joked, "is they have moremoney."

Balz reported from Washington.

With Eye on Midwest in '08, GOP Picks Twin Cities for Convention

The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul will host the 2008Republican National Convention, the GOP announced Wednesday in anearly signal of the likely significance of the Midwest in the nextpresidential election.

Moving away from the coasts for the first time in 16 years -- and choosing the Twin Cities for the first time since 1892 -- theRepublicans also preempted the Democrats, who had narrowed their ownconvention selection to three sites, including Minneapolis-St. Paul.

The Democrats will now choose between New York and Denver, aspokeswoman said.

Steven Schier, a prominent Minnesota political commentator on thefaculty of Carleton College, said the timing and the tactics suggestthat the national Republican Party hopes to help its Minnesotacandidates this year and appeal to voters in a swath of battlegroundstates in 2008.

"This should not be considered just a Minnesota choice," he said."You've got three swing states: Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. We'revery much a battleground state. We were in '04 and we will be in'08. Same in Wisconsin, same in Iowa."

In 2004, President Bush squeaked past Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) in Iowa by 10,000 votes, while Kerry finished 11,000 votesahead of Bush in neighboring Wisconsin. Kerry beat Bush in Minnesotaby 100,000 votes out of 3 million cast. Even so, that Minnesota wascompetitive at all was a sign of changing times in a state that fordecades was dominated by nationally prominent Democrats such asHubert H. Humphrey, Eugene McCarthy and Walter F. Mondale.

Parties tend to consider convention locations a symbol, althoughthe effect is often minimal. In 1980, the last time the Republicanschose the Midwest, delegates convened in Detroit to highlight RonaldReagan's determination to win blue-collar votes, a successfulstrategy.

The GOP chose Philadelphia in 2000, hoping to boost Bush'schances in a tightly contested state, but he lost there in 2000 and2004.

This time around, Republicans had narrowed the choice to the TwinCities or Tampa after ruling out Cleveland. With memories ofHurricane Katrina still fresh, Florida's chances were hurt by thefact that the Sept. 1-4 convention comes in the heart of stormseason.

The Democrats, who expect to choose a host city by the end of theyear, will focus on two that have potentially serious liabilities,said one Democrat familiar with the search.

New York's principal drawback is its cost, while Denver's primaryproblem centers on its trade union status.

Although the Democrats see the Rocky Mountain West as an area ofpotential electoral growth, Denver has labor problems, including ashortage of union hotels. That could make it difficult for a partythat relies heavily on union campaign money and muscle to justifychoosing the Mile-High City as its host.

Officials from the party and the city are working to see if theseobstacles can be overcome.

As the political leadership of Minnesota and the Twin Citiescelebrated their victory on Wednesday, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman(D) said he thinks the Democrats would have chosen the Twin Citiesif Republicans hadn't. "The good news about the Republicans choosingus instead of the Democrats," Coleman joked, "is they have moremoney."

Balz reported from Washington.

With Eye on Midwest in '08, GOP Picks Twin Cities for Convention

The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul will host the 2008Republican National Convention, the GOP announced Wednesday in anearly signal of the likely significance of the Midwest in the nextpresidential election.

Moving away from the coasts for the first time in 16 years -- and choosing the Twin Cities for the first time since 1892 -- theRepublicans also preempted the Democrats, who had narrowed their ownconvention selection to three sites, including Minneapolis-St. Paul.

The Democrats will now choose between New York and Denver, aspokeswoman said.

Steven Schier, a prominent Minnesota political commentator on thefaculty of Carleton College, said the timing and the tactics suggestthat the national Republican Party hopes to help its Minnesotacandidates this year and appeal to voters in a swath of battlegroundstates in 2008.

"This should not be considered just a Minnesota choice," he said."You've got three swing states: Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. We'revery much a battleground state. We were in '04 and we will be in'08. Same in Wisconsin, same in Iowa."

In 2004, President Bush squeaked past Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) in Iowa by 10,000 votes, while Kerry finished 11,000 votesahead of Bush in neighboring Wisconsin. Kerry beat Bush in Minnesotaby 100,000 votes out of 3 million cast. Even so, that Minnesota wascompetitive at all was a sign of changing times in a state that fordecades was dominated by nationally prominent Democrats such asHubert H. Humphrey, Eugene McCarthy and Walter F. Mondale.

Parties tend to consider convention locations a symbol, althoughthe effect is often minimal. In 1980, the last time the Republicanschose the Midwest, delegates convened in Detroit to highlight RonaldReagan's determination to win blue-collar votes, a successfulstrategy.

The GOP chose Philadelphia in 2000, hoping to boost Bush'schances in a tightly contested state, but he lost there in 2000 and2004.

This time around, Republicans had narrowed the choice to the TwinCities or Tampa after ruling out Cleveland. With memories ofHurricane Katrina still fresh, Florida's chances were hurt by thefact that the Sept. 1-4 convention comes in the heart of stormseason.

The Democrats, who expect to choose a host city by the end of theyear, will focus on two that have potentially serious liabilities,said one Democrat familiar with the search.

New York's principal drawback is its cost, while Denver's primaryproblem centers on its trade union status.

Although the Democrats see the Rocky Mountain West as an area ofpotential electoral growth, Denver has labor problems, including ashortage of union hotels. That could make it difficult for a partythat relies heavily on union campaign money and muscle to justifychoosing the Mile-High City as its host.

Officials from the party and the city are working to see if theseobstacles can be overcome.

As the political leadership of Minnesota and the Twin Citiescelebrated their victory on Wednesday, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman(D) said he thinks the Democrats would have chosen the Twin Citiesif Republicans hadn't. "The good news about the Republicans choosingus instead of the Democrats," Coleman joked, "is they have moremoney."

Balz reported from Washington.