Updated 3:15 p.m. | The Democratic National Committee announced Monday that Philadelphia, New York and Columbus are the three finalists to host its 2016 national convention.  

Two cities, Phoenix and Birmingham, Ala., were knocked from contention after party officials conducted a series of visits to assess whether they could withstand the thousands of elected officials, delegates and media expected for the event. A final decision on location will come early next year.  

Democrats also narrowed down the timing for the convention: It will be held during the week of July 18, July 25 or Aug. 22 of 2016. “We’re thrilled to move to the next step of the selection process to determine where Democrats will come together to nominate the 45th President of the United States,” said Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chairwoman of the DNC.  

Republicans will hold their convention in Cleveland, Ohio , starting either June 28 or July 18.  

Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, lauded Columbus’s inclusion among the finalists, calling it “the ideal host” for the convention.  

“The convention will give the city a platform to display our state’s diverse and innovative capital city,” he said in a statement. “I look forward to working with the city’s leaders to make history and bring the convention to Ohio.”  

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