Kansas City considers bid to host 2024 Republican National Convention
Kansas City plans to put in a bid to host the 2024 Republican National Convention, the mayor’s office confirmed.
The Republican National Committee approached city officials about submitting a bid, Morgan Said, a spokeswoman for Mayor Quinton Lucas, confirmed to The Star Tuesday morning.
She added that a delegation from Missouri was in Washington D.C. Tuesday to discuss the possibility. The city has until Dec. 1 to submit a formal bid.
In June 2014, Kansas City lost its bid for the 2016 RNC, failing to make the final cut with Cleveland and Dallas. Cleveland ultimately won.
A number of possible reasons were cited as why Kansas City lost out on the economic opportunity, including lack of high-quality hotel rooms within close proximity of the Sprint Center, where the convention would have been held, poor rail transit and a potential struggle to raise the $60 million for the event.
The last time Kansas City hosted the RNC was in 1976, when Gerald Ford won the nomination, but later lost the presidency to Jimmy Carter. The convention was hosted at what is now the Hy-Vee Arena. Prior to that, Kansas City hosted the 1928 RNC. The nomination that year went to Herbert Hoover, who also went on to win the presidency.
Kansas City has played host to one Democratic National Convention, in 1900, where William Jennings Bryan won the nomination, but ultimately lost the presidency to William McKinley.
