New York City ? Democrats selected Denver to host their 2008 presidential convention, turning down New York in favor of a problematic but enthusiastic bid from a city in the increasingly Democratic Rocky Mountain West.

Denver mounted a spirited effort to win the convention, organizing a sophisticated public relations campaign and enlisting help from Democratic lawmakers throughout the West. But the bid was fraught with logistical problems, among them a lack of close-in hotel rooms, a struggle to raise the necessary $55 million to run the convention and serious labor concerns.

The convention – which is expected to attract 35,000, including 4,950 delegates and alternates – will be Aug. 25-28, after the Summer Olympics in Beijing.

The Republican National Convention will start just four days later, on Sept. 1 in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.