The 2008 Democratic National Convention will be held Monday, Aug. 25, through Thursday, Aug. 28, after the Summer Olympics in Beijing, Democratic chairman Howard Dean announced Friday.
Democrats will decide where they will hold the convention sometime after the 2006 midterm elections, party spokesman Josh Earnest said. Dean will appoint a committee to consider bids from various cities and come up with a recommendation, Earnest said.
In a letter to Dean, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said there was only one city the Democrats should choose: New York, the site of last year’s Republican convention.
“New York has been the springboard from which the last two successful Democratic candidates for president won the White House,” Schumer said, referring to presidents Carter and Clinton. “There is no doubt in my mind that New York’s good fortune can launch a Democrat into the White House for the third time in 30 years.”
The late-August date will allow the Democratic nominee to raise and spend private money for almost a month longer than in 2004, when Democrats held their convention in late July and formally chose John Kerry as their nominee. Candidates who accept public financing for the general election can no longer raise private contributions once they have received their party’s nomination.
The Summer Olympics in Beijing are set to start Aug. 8 and run for about two weeks.
Republicans have not yet announced the dates of their 2008 national convention and don’t expect to announce them anytime soon. They will pick a site selection committee in January, said GOP spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt.