Political and business leaders welcome the Democratic National Committee to Brooklyn today in a bid to host the party's 2016 convention.

The DNC's visit follows Mayor de Blasio's proposal to make Barclays Center the venue to nominate his party's next presidential candidate.

Brooklyn faces stiff competition from Philadelphia which DNC officials will visit later this week.  Philly can tout its historical significance, recently expanded Convention Center, and many more nearby hotel rooms to accommodate the estimated 50,000 delegates, party activists and media members expected to attend. 

DNC officials are seeking a city with 17,000 rooms within a close drive.  Brooklyn has just 3,500 so many attendees would need to stay in Manhattan, potentially straining public transit.

Mayor de Blasio will woo the DNC's site selection committee tonight at a dinner at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Other cities in the running are Birmingham, Alabama; Columbus, Ohio; and Phoenix.  Officials will complete those visits next month.