Sharon Coolidge, and Deirdre Shesgreen

Cincinnati

Cincinnati competing against Dallas%2C Denver%2C Kansas City%2C Las Vegas and Cleveland

Cincinnati made the convention cut.

The Republican National Committee announced on Wednesday that the Queen City is one of six cities on its short list of possible sites to host the 2016 GOP convention.

Now, local GOP, government, business and convention leaders must prove Cincinnati is the best choice when members of the Site Selection Committee visit in the coming weeks.

Host committee members, who gathered on Cincinnati City Hall steps Wednesday afternoon to tout the selection, aren't worried.

"This would put a tremendous spotlight on our city," said Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley, a Democrat. "This city will shine."

City Councilwoman Amy Murray is convinced that once committee members see what Cincinnati has to offer, they'll realize it's the best choice.

Cincinnati is competing against Dallas, Denver, Kansas City, Las Vegas and Cleveland.

Out of the running: Phoenix and Columbus.

"These six cities have shown they have what it takes to move forward," said Enid Mickelsen, chair of the RNC's Site Selection Committee. "I look forward to this next phase as we select a city to help us nominate the next Republican president of the United States."

On Twitter, Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman said his city will now focus on luring the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

The cities remaining under consideration by the Republicans will now undergo a more intensive review to see if the locations can handle the influx of political bigwigs and party activists that comes with hosting such a political extravaganza. GOP officials will be looking at U.S. Bank Arena, financing, hotel space, media accommodations and even the airport.

Cincinnati faces challenges: U.S. Bank Arena is almost 40 years old and hasn't had a major renovation since 1997. It's no secret the Millennium Hotel, the city's largest convention hotel, isn't up to par, either. But the city is walkable.

Cincinnati leaders entered the process late, but quickly became supercharged about the city's chances at snagging an event that would bring national attention and a major economic bump. In a meeting at the RNC's headquarters last month, city leaders pitched the city as a hip, convenient and politically hot spot for the convention.

Leaders across the state were euphoric that two Ohio cities made Wednesday's cut.

"No Republican has ever won the presidency without winning the Buckeye State," noted Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio. "Hosting the GOP convention will both energize the Republican base in Ohio and bring conservatives from across the nation to our exciting battleground state."

Ohio GOP Chairman Matt Borges said he was "thrilled" Ohio had "two viable options alive in the process ... Ultimately I want to see the convention in the Buckeye State."

Rob Nichols, a spokesman for Gov. John Kasich, said hosting a convention "would be an important economic boost, but it would also let us show the world why Ohio is such an attractive place to live and work. We'll continue to work with Cincinnati and Cleveland leaders to support their bid and make the case for Ohio."

The convention would come on the heels of the 2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

Dan Lincoln, president and CEO of the Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau, said the city had one of the most competitive bids in this process.

"With our region's successful history in hosting large-scale national and international events, we are more confident than ever in our ability to win the right to host this prestigious national event," Lincoln said.

Now that Cincinnati has made this cut, the city will be put under the RNC's microscope.

The GOP convention is expected to bring at least 50,000 visitors to the host city.

Coleman suggested that part of the reason his city was nixed from the list was because of inadequate transportation into and around the city.

"We need to look at potential light rail between the airport and downtown," Coleman told reporters Wednesday, according to Columbus' WBNS-10TV.

Another key will be fundraising. The city's host committee is expected to raise about $50 million to put toward the event. Cincinnati host committee members have declined to comment on how much has been raised, but all along have said it's not a concern.

After the technical team visits, the RNC selection committee will likely narrow the field again to a smaller group of cities for the entire RNC delegation to visit. A final choice won't come until late summer or early fall, according to the RNC.

Tampa Bay, Fla., hosted the 2012 GOP convention. A study by that city's host committee found that the event pumped about $214 million in direct spending into the local and state economy.

National GOP officials have emphasized how important it is to pick just the right place for the convention -- where delegates have a pleasant experience and the Republican nominee gets a political bump heading into the general election.

"The eyes of the world will be on the RNC and our host city in the summer of 2016," said Mickelsen.

Staff writer Chrissie Thompson contributed to this report.

What's next

In April and May a small RNC staff team will travel to short-listed cities to conduct a technical site visit where members will assess financing, venues, media workspace and hotels.

They'll narrow the field even more to cities that will get official site visits in late May and early June.

The final decision is expected by late summer.

It has been awhile since the last convention

Cincinnati has hosted three national party conventions: two for the Democrats and one for the Republicans. All three took place in the 1800s, with two of the three nominees going on to take the Oval Office. Ohio Gov. Rutherford B. Hayes won the GOP nomination in 1876 and went on to win the general election, while James Buchanan won the Democratic nomination in 1856 at the first convention held outside the original 13 states.

Research by staff writer James Pilcher