Murray Clark Believes Indy Is 'Superb Place' for Political Convention

The high cost of hosting a political convention might be the biggest roadblock for an Indianapolis bid to host the 2012 Republican National Convention, state GOP leaders said in the Associated Press story on "Super Bowl Might Block Indy's GOP Convention Bid."

Indianapolis will also host the Super Bowl in 2012, and Republican officials fear that might tap out corporate donors.

"I'm more convinced than ever that Indianapolis would be a superb place for a national convention for either party," Republican Chairman Murray Clark of Baker & Daniels said in the  Associated Press story. "Having said that, the 2012 Super Bowl obviously is a big deal for the community, and we certainly wouldn't want to be at cross-purposes with the Super Bowl."

Indianapolis has been encouraged to bid on the 2012 convention. The city tried to win the party's 2000 convention but lost out to Philadelphia. The price tag of this year's Republican convention in St. Paul, Minn., was an estimated $82 million. The Democratic Convention in Denver cost about $55 million.