By Associated Press - Thursday, February 27, 2014

ST. LOUIS (AP) - St. Louis’ nascent efforts to host the 2016 Democratic National Convention are over almost as quickly as they began.

The city was among 30 nationwide asked to consider hosting the presidential nominating convention in two years. A local Democratic leader was in Washington on Wednesday to help woo Democratic Party leaders.

But the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (bit.ly/1pxNqF3 ) reports that the Mayor Francis Slay’s chief of staff says the city is declining the invitation. Jeff Rainford cited the need to focus private fundraising efforts on a $380 million Gateway Arch improvement project. He expects a renewed bid for the convention in 2020.



St. Louis has hosted four Democratic conventions but none since 1916. Across the state, Kansas City is pushing aggressively to host the 2016 Republican National Convention.

.

___

Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, https://www.stltoday.com

Copyright © 2026 The Washington Times, LLC.

Story Topics

Please read our comment policy before commenting.