St. Louis asked to bid for 2008 Republican National Convention

By AP/KWMU

St. Louis, MO – St. Louis is one of 31 cities being asked to make a bid to host the 2008 Republican National Convention.

The party's site selection committee will hold meetings in Washington with any city interested in hosting the convention.

A list of finalists will be made this summer with a final selection picked in about a year.

Kansas City and Chicago are also being asked to make a bid, though a spokeswoman for Chicago's Mayor says they're not interested.

St. Louis last hosted a political convention in 1916. The 1916, 1888, and 1876 Democratic Conventions were held in St. Louis; but only one Republican convention, in 1896, has ever been held in St. Louis.