DNC narrows ’16 convention cities to three

The Democratic National Convention in 2016 will be held in either Brooklyn, N.Y., Philadelphia or Columbus, Ohio.

The three finalists for the convention site were announced Monday by the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

{mosads}The cities were competing with two other sites, Birmingham, Ala. and Phoenix. Cleveland was in the running initially, but Republicans ultimately selected the Ohio city for their convention.

“We are fortunate to have such a diverse and vibrant group of cities interested in hosting this special event and we thank Phoenix and Birmingham for showcasing their special communities,” DNC Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.) said in a statement. 

They also announced that they intend to hold the convention — where their presidential nominee will rally the base and be introduced to the nation — during the week of July 18, July 25 or Aug. 22.

Republicans have said they will likely hold their convention in June or July because candidates cannot raise money for the general election until after they are formally nominated.

DNC officials had denied a report two weeks ago that the three cities were finalists and that they planned to announce their decision last week. At the time, they said that all five cities remained in contention.