Political reporters prefer Cleveland over Dallas, Denver and Kansas City for Republican National Convention

Republican National ConventionOhio delegates during the last Republican National Convention, held in Tampa.  

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Cleveland is getting reportorial love.

A totally unscientific, random poll of Washington reporters who cover the White House and politics found that more political journalists would rather come to Cleveland than to other cities competing to host the 2016 Republican National Convention.

Said a senior reporter for a news organization that is followed closely by politicians and the political press: "Food's good, great ballpark, compact downtown –plus there will be lots of funny stories about Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-types rejecting the GOP's use of their music."

Denver came in second, followed by Dallas.

Even some reporters who voted for Cleveland gave a strong nod to Denver as their second pick, saying they would love to see how delegates and party officials behaved in a city where marijuana use is legal.

"Denver is pretty cool, too," said one such reporter. "And we can watch Republicans get stoned."

Kansas City, the fourth city that the Republican National Committee is considering, came in last -- with no votes.

That's the straight news. Here are the caveats for why these results may mean little, although the journalists' explanations appear valid and somewhat illuminating.

First, the poll consisted of a simple question in a blast email from The Plain Dealer (specifically, me) to the members of the White House Correspondents Association and the Regional Reporters Association:

"Where would you rather cover a presidential nominating convention -- Cleveland, Dallas, Denver or Kansas City? Why?"

The correspondents association represents reporters and photographers who cover the White House on a daily or routine basis.  Many of its members travel with presidential candidates as they campaign across the country. The Regional Reporters Association is a group of reporters in Washington bureaus for a variety of news organizations across the country.

Second, the poll went to dozens of press members. Seventeen sent back responses. In our defense, since this is subjective, survey responses are generally low in most polls nationwide, and Washington reporters get hundreds of emails a day and ignore most.

Yet the responses that came in were from a fairly representative slice of the political media, including a senior correspondent for a major television network, a White House reporter for a wire service, several Washington bureau chiefs for large metro newspapers and websites, and reporters or editors with news organizations noted for opinions and opinion-shaping news.

Of the 17, two did not vote for any city, with one listing the factors that go into reporters' likes and dislikes of all convention cities and the other saying he had wanted the convention to be in Las Vegas, which the RNC has already rejected.

"I was openly rooting for 'Vegas, baby!' he explained.

Eight voted for Cleveland, six for Denver, one for Dallas and none for Kansas City.

This poll sought candor, so we told respondents that their names would not be used, a courtesy granted in most polls. Here are some of the responses.

From a newspaper and web columnist who has covered conventions for several decades and prefers Dallas: "I would worry that Cleveland and Kansas City might require some housing to be far outside of town."

That happened in 1976 in Kansas City, he said, and somewhat in Denver in 2008, although he rated Denver highly.

But "Dallas proved in 1984 they could handle it, and they have a better place for the convention proceedings now."

A reporter who works for a large newspaper and makes regular television appearances voted for Cleveland by default because, she said, "I prefer a city in an eastern time zone."

Cleveland is the only such city under consideration.

Another reporter, this one for a large East Coast newspaper, elaborated that when you work in a different time zone, "you think you have more time to meet your East Coast deadlines." But the political parties that run the conventions still want to get on television during prime time in the East, so "you end up staying out later and then getting called in the morning from oblivious editors who don't understand that just because they're having the 10 a.m. news meeting, you only got to bed four hours ago."

That's why Cleveland gets his nod, he said, even though he's still ticked off "about those bugs that emerged from the lake and distracted Joba Chamberlain enough so the Indians could steal a crucial playoff game from the Yankees."

In a 2007 playoff game in Cleveland, the Yankees' Chamberlain was rattled by swarming bugs, believed to be midges, and blew the Yankees lead.

Cleveland is already visited every four years by reporters who travel on campaign planes and buses and spend large portions of the weeks leading into November in Ohio. That factored into the preference of a reporter for a large radio network. He picked Denver as his first choice and Kansas City as his second.

"I'll spend plenty of time in Cleveland as it is during the campaign, given Ohio's perennial battleground status," he said.

Yet a bureau chief for a metro newspaper and website in the South argued in favor of Cleveland for that very reason: Ohio matters.

"I'd rather cover an event where the state's presidential votes are in some doubt," he said.

These were among the pragmatic answers. But Cleveland also got votes that were, at best, random.

"By process of elimination, I'd probably go with Cleveland," said a reporter whose news organization is based in the same city as President Barack Obama's non-White House home. "Dallas is a horrible city, so that's off the list. Kansas City is a possibility. I've never been there, but I've never wanted to, either. Denver is a great city but it doesn't have enough hotel rooms, so you end up staying in the boonies.

"So I'd go with Cleveland."

Just as seemingly random was the last-place pick for Cleveland by a wire service reporter who covers the White House.

"I put Denver first because we just had the 2008 DNC convention there and I found it to be relatively easy to get around in and find accommodations," he said. "If you were at a hotel downtown, you didn't have to drive to get to the convention site, you could walk. There are plenty of decent restaurants for dining, and it's fun to experience the Western lifestyle for a few days."

And his reason for putting Cleveland last?

"I think I am underwhelmed by Cleveland because many of the times I've been there it's been raining. Simple as that."

Yeah, blame the weather. Even Clevelanders do that. Yet a political editor and senior producer for a national cable TV organization picked Cleveland partly because he has found the summer weather to be delightful.

"Cleveland has the best summer weather," he said, adding that it "provides the backdrop to a battleground state that may very well decide who is elected."

It also offers a big city appeal with a hometown feel and "has the best food," he said, ending his email in capital letters to explain why he'd love to cover the convention in Cleveland. It has "the ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME!!!"