Denver Bid Committee meets

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The Rocky Mountain News reports on a meeting of the Denver Bid Committee:

The rising importance of Colorado and other mountain states as key battlegrounds in the 2008 presidential election will serve Denver’s bid to host that year’s Democratic National Convention, a political analyst told a local host committee this morning.

Democratic National Party Chairman Howard Dean and other party leaders are keenly aware of the Mountain West’s role as a potential mother lode of new Democrat voters, Michael Stratton, a Littleton political strategist, told local Democrats, and some Republicans, during the first host committee gathering at the new Hyatt Regency Denver.

Western states have succeeded in "bringing facts to the table that have really resonated with Chairman Dean, which is that Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Nevada are now as crucial as any four states in the country," Stratton said. "People who study the demographics of where the vote is and where the potential for the vote is now realize that the Western states are critical for us winning the White House in 2008."

"Dean knows this and he’s actually going out there and recruiting people on the basis of delivering a Western convention center," said Stratton, adding that members of the convention city selection committee will include Denver supporters, like Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez.

The Denver Post reports the money discussion:

Denver would need to raise $60 million to $80 million to host the Democratic National Convention in 2008, but landing the convention could produce a $163 million jolt to the local economy, backers said Tuesday.

Much of the cost would stem from providing security, said Steve Farber, a local lawyer who is co-chairman of the effort to land the convention.

The 2004 Democratic convention in Boston generated $163 million in economic benefits, said Richard Scharf, head of the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau.

...

Farber said business leaders will need to raise about $60,000 in initial seed money and at least an additional $250,000 to carry the city through the entire submission process.

Dan Slater has more on the meeting at DemNotes. He lists all the speakers, and closes with:

All in all, it was a very productive morning. There truly was a diverse crowd, and we had lots of folks in attendance who are key to the process, including our DNC Members, representatives from each of our Democratic Members of Congress and Senator Salazar, former Sen. Gary Hart, State Chair Pat Waak, several State Representatives and State Senators, and numerous others. I really do think we have an outstanding shot at bringing the Convention to Denver, and I’m proud of how we are all coming together to get this done!

(The Denver bid logo shown above is not an official logo).