Ryan Nicol
Miami Beach has been named a finalist to host the Democratic National Convention in 2020.
The city of Miami Beach was one of eight cities in the running as of early May. That list was narrowed to four on Wednesday, with Denver, Houston and Milwaukee also among the possible 2020 hosts.
Eliminated from contention were Atlanta, Birmingham, New York and San Francisco.
A short time later, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner tweeted that the city of Denver had withdrawn from consideration, leaving just three cities competing for the bid.
And now Denver has withdrawn from vying to host the @DNC 2020 national convention, leaving the field to Miami, Milwaukee and @HoustonTX! We clearly have the best facilities and savvy for hosting mega events.
— Sylvester Turner (@SylvesterTurner) June 20, 2018
The Miami Beach Convention Center could be the home of many of the convention’s events. The building is currently undergoing a $620 million renovation, which should be completed in time for the DNC.
However, according to the Miami Herald, Miami Beach submitted a proposal that would include Miami-Dade County and Miami in hosting duties. The Herald cites Marcia Monserrat, chief of staff for the Miami Beach city manager, as saying the AmericanAirlines Arena would be the site of the convention’s major speeches.
Democratic officials are scheduled to visit the finalist cities later this year, with a decision on the host expected early next year.
Miami Beach has hosted party conventions before. Both the Republican and Democratic conventions took place in Miami Beach back in 1972.
