暗黑爆料

Six cities are still in the running for the 2016 RNC National Convention. Including Denver, others on the list like Las Vegas, Dallas, Kansas City, Cleveland and Cincinnati will all receive 鈥榯echnical visits鈥� to give organizers a better feel for the cities鈥� offerings.

鈥淲e鈥檝e entered the next phase of the site selection process with all cities on an even playing field 鈥� there are no favorites, there are no underdogs,鈥� said RNC Site Selection Chair Enid Mickelsen in a statement. 鈥淭he technical visits will help aid the committee in their decision making process as we narrow the field of cities in contention for the 2016 Republican National Convention.鈥�

Ryan Call, state chairman for the Colorado Republican Party, says the visit is a time for Denver to show its convention hosting potential.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to tour the Pepsi Center facility, they鈥檙e going to check out the convention center,鈥� Call said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to visit some of our anchor hotels and meet with the chairman of our effort Pete Coors and just size us up.鈥�

The RNC Site Selection Committee could make further cuts to the list of possible host cities in June through August as initial negotiations with the final cities begin. The full RNC governing body will then vote on its top choice later in the summer and early fall of 2014.

Denver survived the first round of top tier cuts in early April when the RNC reduced the number of possible host cities from eight to six after receiving bids from dozens of possible contenders.

There could be a hiccup for Denver surrounding hockey and basketball playoffs. As the , with a June Republican convention, a location conflict could arise as the event would most likely be held in a sports arena of some kind.

Denver last hosted the Democratic National Convention in 2008, and was to pull off such a large event. A group of bipartisan leaders including Democratic Governor John Hickenlooper and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock are supporting the 2016 effort.