Birmingham considering bid for 2020 Democratic national convention

Birmingham’s BJCC would likely be the location of a 2020 DNC convention. Photo courtesy of the BJCC Authority.

Birmingham might be considering a bid to host the 2020 Democratic national convention. Mayor Randall Woodfin tweeted Friday morning that the Democratic National Committee had invited the city to apply in March, repeatedly noting that he was “excited” for the opportunity to host.

Woodfin stopped short of confirming that Birmingham would compete, instead couching it in hypothetical terms. But if the bid does happen, he said, it would be significantly different from the campaign the city launched for 2016’s DNC convention, which saw the city spending $275,000 for the services of three outside consulting firms, with no results.

“If we decide to compete, the application process will be handled by internal staff,” Woodfin tweeted. “We will not have new contracts to pursue the nomination.”

Birmingham still does not meet several of the DNC’s criteria to host the convention. It only has 350,000 of convention space (the DNC asks for 650,000), 15,000 hotel rooms (the DNC requests 17,000 to 18,000), and arena seating of 17,654 (the DNC requires a minimum of 18,500). Woodfin told AL.com that the DNC would possibly be flexible with those terms.