KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A push is on to bring the GOP to Kansas City, but some Republicans are pushing back.
“I believe the last time I looked in about a week-and-a-half ago we have about 300 ‘likes,’ [on Facebook] and Twitter just went up two days ago, so it’s really starting to trend,” Cathy Nugent said, Executive Director of “Kansas City 2016.”
It was just a few years ago Nugent and a team of fellow Republicans first began the work to bring the Republican National Convention to Kansas City. She said the city meets the requirements the convention committee has set for cities which hope to host.
“We are in the middle of the country,” Nugent said. “We are the area of common sense. We also have some of the best roads in the country. We have rails — we have access.”
Nugent estimated a 2016 GOP convention in the city would pour $250 million into the local economy, create 2,800 new jobs and attract almost 50,000 people to the metro.
Not everyone is convinced, however.
Fellow Republican and political strategist Annie Presley said while winning the convention would be a huge achievement for Kansas City, right now, the city cannot meet two key requirements: raising $75 million to pull off the convention and have one thousand hotel rooms within walking distance of the Sprint Center.
In the meantime, Nugent said her group is also looking at a possible dual convention — with Missouri and Kansas teaming up to try and win the convention here.
“This actually serves as a model and for seeking and getting future conventions for the region,” Nugent said.
