Denver has $23M in cash for convention

The host committee for the Democratic National Convention said Monday it had $23 million in cash contributions, short of its $28 million goal for the date.

Spokesman Chris Lopez said the host committee had commitments for the other $5 million.

The convention will be Aug. 25-28.

Under its contract with the national Democratic Party, the host committee is responsible for raising $40.6 million in cash by June 16 and another $14.4 million in in-kind contributions, Lopez said.

The national party set a series of benchmarks for raising the money. Denver fell more than $1 million short of a $7.5-million goal last June but managed to meet a Dec. 14 goal with $15 million.

The March 17 benchmark was the final interim goal before the June 16 final deadline.

Members of the host committee have said the protracted race for the presidential nomination has complicated fundraising.

In previous election years, the nominee has been apparent by this time, and has helped the host city raise convention money.

But with the outcome between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama still up in the air, Denver's host committee is having to raise money on its own.

Before they settled on a convention site, national Democratic officials were concerned about the ability of a mid-size city like Denver to raise money.