Democrats choose Charlotte, N.C., for 2012 national convention

Democrats will hold their 2012 presidential nominating convention in Charlotte, N.C., the party announced Tuesday.

The city edged Minneapolis, St. Louis and Cleveland for the event, scheduled for the week of Sept. 3. In its announcement, the party dubbed the gathering the “People’s Convention.”

“What’s really special about next year’s convention is that it’s all about you. We’re bringing it to your backyard and your communities,” the Democratic Party’s website announces. “We intend to make this the People’s Convention — one that embodies your ideas and visions for the future.”

In an e-mail to party activists, First Lady Michelle Obama calls Charlotte “a city marked by its southern charm, warm hospitality, and an ‘up by the bootstraps’ mentality that has propelled the city forward as one of the fastest-growing in the South.”

“Vibrant, diverse, and full of opportunity, the Queen City is home to innovative, hardworking folks with big hearts and open minds. And of course, great barbecue,” she adds.

President Obama carried North Carolina in 2008 by the narrowest of margins, becoming the first Democratic candidate to do so since Jimmy Carter in 1976. In 2010, however, the state swung back toward Republicans as they picked up one congressional seat, and saw Republican Sen. Richard Burr easily reelected.

Obama has visited the state five times since becoming president, most recently for an economic speech at the Forsyth Technical Community College in December. North Carolina is the only one of the four potential host states that does not feature a U.S. Senate contest in 2012, but Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue is seeking reelection next year.

Democrats held their 2008 convention in Denver, while Republicans opted for St. Paul, Minn. Republicans had already announced that their 2012 convention will be in Tampa, Fla.

The GOP presidential nominee hasn’t won the state that hosted his party’s convention since 1992, when President George H. W. Bush was renominated in Houston. Democrats have not lost the convention host state since 1988, when Michael Dukakis was nominated in Atlanta.

mmemoli@tribune.com

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