Tampa is a finalist in the competition to host the 2008 Republican National Convention, the GOP announced Wednesday.
So are the three other cities that put in bids.
Members of a site selection committee will visit the finalists - Tampa, Minneapolis, New York and Cleveland - in August.
"All four cities have their own good times to offer," said Aaron McLear, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, which plans to name a host city in January.
"We're looking forward to having them here," Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio said. "We will make sure we show them all the great assets we have."
"We're very delighted," said Paul Catoe, president of the Tampa Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau. "I think we're going to have a winner."
Tampa lost the 2004 convention to New York.
Al Austin, who heads Tampa's GOP convention host committee, said he's optimistic because Florida is an important battleground state in presidential elections. But he didn't want to be overly confident.
"We know you have to win this," Austin said. "They're not going to give it to us."
