SOURCE: "DNC Convention Site Team To Visit Charlotte Tuesday" (www.WSOCTV.com)
A Democratic Party insider said that politics, not logistics, may determine whether Charlotte is chosen to host the 2012 Democratic National Convention.
A DNC site selection team is expected in Charlotte on Tuesday to look at hotels, convention space and security, but the final decision may hinge on something else.
"When it comes to the location itself, it does boil down to politics specifically," said Mark Erwin, a former ambassador in the Clinton administration.
Ervin said President Obama will make the final decision on where the convention goes, and that the decision will be based around what is best for his campaign.
Charlotte is up against three cities: Minneapolis, St. Louis and Cleveland.
The president narrowly lost Missouri in 2008 and won Minnesota and Ohio. He won North Carolina by 0.3 percent.
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Bitzer |
"If they want to try and replicate what they did in 2008 and make North Carolina a competitive state," Bitzer said, "they may choose to come to Charlotte."
Bitzer said Charlotte's "inexperience" at hosting an event as big as a national convention may work against the city, while Erwin said Charlotte is a "growing" city and that will help.
"I think [Obama] has a real affinity to North Carolina and its people because we treated him well," Erwin said.
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