Lack of pro team at Sprint Center seems an increasing advantage for KC GOP bid

The Dallas Morning News reports the city’s convention planners

— preparing a bid for the 2016 Republican National Convention — are struggling to meet a GOP demand that the city’s meeting hall be available six weeks before the gathering starts.

Pro sports teams, it seems, have games in June. That starts to run into the GOP’s requirement of a six-week advance window for construction, prior to the convention start in July.

It isn’t just a problem in Dallas. Denver, Phoenix, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio have similar concerns, the newspaper says.

An available convention center may be one of the key plusses in Kansas City’s bid. That, and the nearby Power and Light District — where it’s safe to assume local boosters are spending some time this week, with cameras, to document its popularity and convenience for basketball fans.

Kansas City’s problems continue to be 1) first-class hotel space, 2) transportation, 3) fund-raising, and 4) the state’s perceived non-competitive status in the 2016 election.

This story was originally published March 14, 2014 at 10:51 AM with the headline "Lack of pro team at Sprint Center seems an increasing advantage for KC GOP bid."