The 2010 state Republican convention will likely be held at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, the Loveland Reporter-Herald reports. That’s inside the 4th Congressional District, which will be a top GOP target next year as the party tries to retake the seat from freshman U.S. Rep. Betsy Markey, a Fort Collins Democrat who ousted three-term Republican Marilyn Musgrave last year.
State GOP bigwigs meet Friday to finalize the convention site, but Larimer County Republican chairman Larry Carillo told the Reporter-Herald the Loveland venue is the only location under consideration.
Republicans hope to announce the site selection later that day at the Larimer County Republican Party’s Flag Day Shrimp Boil, set for June 12 at a Fort Collins home. The gathering will feature a bluegrass band and plenty of shrimp, sausage, potatoes and corn on the cob, as well as a raft of Republican candidates introducing themselves to the party faithful.
To keep things festive, there will be a “shortest speech” contest, Carillo said. The winner of last year’s contest didn’t get thrown in a nearby lake, he said.
Last year, roughly 3,500 Republicans gathered at the Broomfield Event Center on May 31 to hear presidential hopeful Mitt Romney deliver the keynote address. Delegates nominated Bob Schaffer to run for the U.S. Senate seat eventually won by Democrat Mark Udall and picked 22 of its 46 delegates from Colorado to attend the Republican National Convention.
Democrats held their 2008 state convention the weekend of May 16 and 17 at the Colorado Springs World Arena. A party official said the selection process for the 2010 convention hasn’t formally started yet. According to plans, the state party’s executive committee will select a site from any bids submitted by county parties.
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