Minn. Delegation at DNC Wonders What Might Have Been

Minneapolis was among the finalists to host the 2012 Democratic National Convention. Now, the Minnesota delegation in Charlotte is wondering what might have been.

For Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, the convention is a bittersweet experience. He's one of President Obama's key supporters, and even had a prime speaking spot Tuesday night. But if he had his way, President Obama would be accepting the Democratic nomination in Minneapolis, not Charlotte.

"I really wanted the Democratic convention four years ago," Rybak told KSTP's Tom Hauser. Rybak plans to keep trying.

Minneapolis was a finalist for the DNC in 2008 and 2012. Charlotte was chosen for political reasons.

Rick Stafford of Minnesota is on the Democratic National Committee. He says Minnesota ranked high on everything from hotel capacity to transportation, but the Obama campaign badly wants to win North Carolina. "This is (President Obama's) show. His people made a decision that they wanted to do it in North Carolina and Charlotte and they're making it work," Stafford said.

As for 2016, Rybak told Hauser "We'll see if people are ready for the bid, but I think it would be cool in our new stadium, don't you?"

By coincidence the new Vikings stadium is set to open in 2016.