If Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper gives the go-ahead, lobbying will start next month to woo the 2008 Democratic National Convention to Denver.
Dan Slater, vice chairman of the state Democratic party, said the push would start at the Democratic National Committee’s December meeting in Phoenix.
The first and only time Denver hosted a national convention was in 1908.
Slater and city Councilwoman Elbra Wedgeworth are spearheading the effort to attract the convention, the third attempt in less than a decade.
The two talked with Hickenlooper last month about a possible bid. Slater said Hickenlooper is studying the issue.
“We are in the process of collecting facts and experiences of other cities that have hosted political conventions, both the economic benefits in terms of revenues and also the costs,” said Lindy Eichenbaum Lent, the mayor’s spokeswoman.
A panel appointed by national party chairman Howard Dean will evaluate the bids. That committee will make a recommendation, and Dean will pick a winner after the mid-term elections.
Denver was one of three finalists for the 2000 convention.
Mayor Wellington Webb pulled Denver out of contention for the 2004 convention because of security costs.
Staff writer Christopher N. Osher can be reached at 303-820-1747 or cosher@denverpost.com.
