Ohio hopes for GOP convention

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

Ohio is looking to reassert its political clout by pressing forward with three bids to host the Republican National Convention, competing against fast-growing states that have newer infrastructure and the more diverse electorate that the party is trying to attract.

Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus are among eight cities still in the running for the GOP convention. The field is expected to be whittled down by month’s end, when RNC officials announce the cities they plan to visit. A final decision is due by early fall.

Ohio has gone with the winning presidential candidate in every election since 1964, and no Republican has ever taken the White House without the state.

However, Ohio has not hosted a national political convention since 1936, when it boasted 26 electoral votes as the nation’s fourth most populous state. Today, located in the slow-growing Midwest, Ohio has 18 electoral votes and is on track to lose one more by 2020.

The three cities, compared with some of the others that submitted bids, also may have a somewhat weaker network of hotels and transportation.