Now the Democrats have selected Denver as the host city for the 2008 National Convention, we will soon see pundits writing how this will make Colorado and neighboring states more likely to vote Democratic for President. Previously others have written that the Republicans having their convention in Minneapolis will help them win in Minnesota & Wisconsin. For example – "The Midwest has become strategic ground," said David Schultz, who teaches politics at Hamline University in St. Paul. "Bring the convention here, get the faithful excited, and spotlight that you care about the Midwest and farmers." Schultz said it's also a "symbolic black eye" to Minnesota Democrats trying to keep alive the spirit of Hubert Humphrey and Paul Wellstone. "It's a purple state now, and Republicans increasingly view this as a winnable state," he said.
http://www.startribune.com/587/story/930300.html
Now I don’t deny that it’s possible that having the convention in a city can affect some voters but history has shown not much correlation between where a convention is held and how the party holding the convention does in that state. Here’s what has happened since 1960:
Year Party City Result
1960 DNC Los Angeles L
1960 RNC Chicago L
1964 DNC AtlanticCity W
1964 RNC San Francisco L
1968 DNC Chicago L
1968 RNC Miami Beach W
1972 DNC Miami Beach L
1972 RNC Miami Beach W
1976 DNC New York W
1976 RNC Kansas City L
1980 DNC New York L
1980 RNC Detroit W
1984 DNC San Francisco L
1984 RNC Dallas W
1988 DNC Atlanta L
1988 RNC New Orleans W
1992 DNC New York W
1992 RNC Houston W
1996 DNC Chicago W
1996 RNC San Diego L
2000 DNC Los Angeles W
2000 RNC Philadelphia L
2004 DNC Boston W
2004 RNC New York L