New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio Wants Brooklyn For The Democratic National Convention

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio wants the 2016 Democratic National Convention (DNC) to be held in the city that never sleeps but he's got in mind a hip alternative to Madison Square Garden, the traditional venue for such political confabs over the decades.

He wants Brooklyn to host the convention in the brand new Barclay’s Center arena, which would mark the first time the city’s most populous borough hosted a presidential election convention.

The Democratic National Committee chose two swing states as the site forlast two conventions: Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2012 and Denver in 2008, but has chosen Democratic strongholds recently as well. 2004’s convention was held in Boston (Sen. John Kerry's home state) and 1996’s convention was held in Chicago.

De Blasio says it’s time to bring it back to a liberal city.

“The progressive spirit of New York City has never been stronger or more vibrant that it is today. We believe that this spirit can energize and captivate both the Democratic Party and the nation,” de Blasio wrote in a statement.

De Blasio cited Super Bowl XLVIII held at Metlife Stadium in neighboring East Rutherford, New Jersey, as proof that the city could host “large, world-class events.”

He also plans to spread convention-related events and accommodations across New York’s five boroughs, according to the New York Times.

Earlier this year the Democratic National Committee invited 30 cities to bid to host the 2016 convention, including New York City. The first was hosted at the infamous Tammany Hall in 1868 and the rest have been held at Madison Square Garden. The most recent NYC DNC was in 1992 when Bill Clinton was nominated to represent the party.

The deadline to bid for the convention was Friday. Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Miami, Nashville, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh and Salt Lake City all submitted bids. The Democratic National Committee says that based on last year's turnaround, we shouldn't expect a decision until 2015.