Philadelphia beat out Brooklyn to host the 2016 Democratic National Convention, the committee organizing the event said Thursday.
Columbus, Ohio, had been the third finalist. Convention bids from Birmingham, Alabama, and Phoenix, Arizona, were eliminated earlier in the selection process.
Brooklyn had pitched hosting the event at Barclays Center, and New York officials, including Mayor de Blasio, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton, helped lead the dozen-plus members of the DNC's Technical Advisory Group on a two-day tour to make their case.
It would have been the first New York-based convention outside of Manhattan.
The decision is based on several factors, including a city's ability to raise millions of dollars to host the event, along with the potential venues, hotels and transportation options.
Some concern had been raised about whether Brooklyn had enough hotel rooms to accommodate the 30,000 expected convention-goers, but de Blasio pointed out the hotels in Manhattan are closer to Barclays than many of the hotels serving recent convention cities were to their event sites.
The administration also plugged the plethora of public transit options, and cited its experience hosting recent major events like the Tony Awards and the MTV Music Video Awards. But those events didn't have the Secret Service presence the 2016 DNC will, and ultimately, the pitch fell short.
"I really do believe a convention in Brooklyn would have sent a great message about what this country has historically been and can be in the future: an inclusive place, a place for everyone," de Blasio said in a news conference hours after the Democratic National Committee announced its choice. "I'm disappointed, by definition."
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De Blasio also congratulated Philadelphia which, notably, he did not do in a statement released immediately after the decision.
Before making its choice, the national party had stressed the importance of logistics and fundraising after problems with both in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2012. Brooklyn led the other finalists — which, beyond Philadelphia, included Columbus, Ohio — in raising money, in part thanks to a committee of well-heeled donors who contributed despite not all being natural allies of the liberal de Blasio.
But logistics were never a slam dunk for Brooklyn. Having delegates stay across the river in Manhattan from the Barclays Center wasn't appealing to everyone. And while de Blasio and his team repeatedly boasted about the public transit options to the arena, the frozen zone that would have been put in place far in advance to secure the site would have disrupted life in several bustling neighborhoods.
Brooklyn residents weren't heartbroken about the DNC's decision.
"It's too crowded and congested, and I don't think it's suitable to be here," said Veronica Gillepsie of Flatbush.
A downtown Brooklyn resident who identified himself as Vinnie C. said, "I'm very glad. There's enough traffic here, and enough stupid people."
Philadelphia, meanwhile, touted that most of its hotels were grouped in a walkable downtown but the arena that would house the convention is located in a sports complex removed from downtown, making it easier to secure.
DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz said the organization signed a contract with Philadelphia Thursday morning.
"I am thrilled to announce that Philadelphia will host the convention where we will nominate the 45th President of the United States," Wasserman Schultz said in a statement. "In addition to their commitment to a seamless and safe convention, Philadelphia's deep rooted place in American history provides a perfect setting for this special gathering. I cannot wait to join Democrats across the country to celebrate our shared values, lay out a Democratic vision for the future, and support our nominee."
De Blasio admitted, "If the DNC kind of wanted a classic American stadium with a parking lot, I don't have that to offer them."
New York would have been a homecoming of sorts for Clinton, who represented the state in the U.S. Senate and has a home in the suburbs north of the city. But aides to de Blasio said Clinton's recent inclination to base her campaign in New York City — a process that her team is coordinating with City Hall — also hurt Brooklyn's chances, since party officials were reluctant to house two major campaign markers in the same city.
Additionally, a convention in deep-blue Brooklyn could attract protests from the left — where Clinton was vulnerable in 2008 — and stir uncomfortable conversations about the Clintons' ties to nearby Wall Street as their party takes a more populist turn.
De Blasio is expected to still be a key liberal surrogate for Clinton if she runs. He was the campaign manager of her 2000 Senate bid and has made several recent public appearances with her and her husband. But losing the DNC, which would have been the first New York-based convention outside of Manhattan, remains a defeat for de Blasio, who has had limited success swaying events outside his home city. He campaigned aggressively to flip the state Senate to the Democrats last fall only to see his party lose seats.
De Blasio, who said he was satisfied with Brooklyn's bid, would not rule out making another attempt for a future convention and dismissed talk that the decision was a rebuke to himself or the progressive politics he represents.
New York last hosted a convention in 2004, when it held the Republican National Convention. The Democrats last used the nation's largest city in 1992.
Despite some fundraising concerns, Philadelphia was viewed as the favorite throughout the process and also has ties to Hillary Clinton, whose father was raised in nearby Scranton. Additionally, Pennsylvania is considered a nominal swing state, often a plus in convention calculus, even though it last went for the GOP in 1988.
The Republicans are holding their convention in Cleveland.
-- Andrew Siff contributed to this report
