Leadership of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte are dismissing a Monday night Bloomberg report that stated convention organizers changed their plans for the opening night of the convention amid a $27 million fundraising shortfall. From National Journal:
“We are right on track with the fundraising we are doing,” Kerrigan told National Journal by telephone. He said a report by Bloomberg that the convention effort was well short of its budget of $36.65 million for the event was “inaccurate,” and added: “I don’t know where they’re getting their numbers from.”
…Kerrigan would not say how much the convention effort has raised so far but insisted: “We have the resources we need. You’re never fully funded until the last check is in and the last bill is paid.”
In January, officials said they were shortening the convention to three days, and would forgo the traditional Monday opening for a festival at the Speedway to reach a wider audience.
At the time, the party chairwoman said the change was about “engaging Americans in a meaningful way.”
But Monday night, host committee officials said moving the Speedway event will provide attendees with a much stronger connection to the convention.
Hosting the CarolinaFest event along the Tryon Street corridor instead of 20 miles outside uptown makes for easier logistics, said host committee spokeswoman Suzi Emmerling.
