Tampa to Host 2012 GOP Convention

Tampa, get ready for some political star sightings: Politico reports the city will be named as the site of the 2012 GOP convention, beating out other finalists Salt Lake City and Phoenix. Key in the selection process: Florida’s crucial status as a swing state. "It comes down to Florida being a key targeted state in the past several elections, and it'll continue to be in future elections," said one GOP operative. With the convention dates set for the week of August 27, that’s two major portions of the 2012 strategy down, now comes the hard part: actually finding a candidate. The announcement of Tampa is expected Wednesday.