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Mayor Bids for Barclays Center to Host 2016 Democratic National Convention

By Rachel Holliday Smith | June 6, 2014 5:41pm | Updated on June 9, 2014 8:32am
 Mayor de Blasio submitted a bid Friday for the Barclays Center to host the 2016 Democratic National Convention, according to a report by the New York Times.
Mayor de Blasio submitted a bid Friday for the Barclays Center to host the 2016 Democratic National Convention, according to a report by the New York Times.
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DNAinfo/Leslie Albrecht

PROSPECT HEIGHTS  Mayor Bill de Blasio has officially entered a bid for Brooklyn to host the 2016 Democratic National Convention in the run-up to the next presidential election.

The mayor suggested the Barclays Center as the “principal venue” for the event in a letter to the Democratic National Committee posted online Friday, citing the arena’s proximity to transit and its location in “one of the most dynamic and resurgent neighborhoods in our city” as reasons to choose it.

“Our enthusiasm for hosting the DNC is matched only by our capacity to execute large, world-class events such as Super Bowl XLVIII, leveraging the expertise of our city agencies, workforce and private sector,” the major said in the letter, which was first reported by The New York Times.

New York is one of 15 cities the DNC invited to submit bids for a chance to host the convention, the report said.

Brooklyn leaders cheered the news of the bid on Friday afternoon. In a statement, borough president Eric Adams cited the city’s status as “one of the largest Democratic counties in our nation” as a reason to bring the DNC to Brooklyn.

“The time has come to bring the king- (or queen-) making convention to the County of Kings,” he said.

The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce said in a statement that Brooklyn has the “culture, facilities and media savvy” to pull off a great convention.

“Home to a new generation of doers and makers, Brooklyn represents the up-from-the-bootstraps American ideal better than any other city in the nation,” said Carlo Scissura, president of the chamber.

The president of the local development group Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, Tucker Reed, said in an email that the bid will give the rest of the country “the opportunity to see what a dynamic destination we have in Downtown Brooklyn.”

“What better place for delegates and their guests to explore during the time they spend off the convention floor?” he asked.

The city has hosted a national presidential convention several times before, most recently in 2004 when the Republican Party nominated George W. Bush during his run for a second term. The Democrats have not held a convention in New York since 1992 when Bill Clinton accepted the party’s nomination. Both of those events were hosted in Manhattan at Madison Square Garden.