Dems move Obama convention speech to Charlotte stadium

The DNC is holding its presidential nominating convention in Charlotte Sept. 3-6.

“This convention is going to be not just a transaction, but a point of transformation," Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx said in a statement. "We are going to use this convention to make a lasting positive impact in this community and across the state and region."

Moving the final night of the convention from Time Warner Cable Arena to the football stadium is similar to the shift the DNC made in 2008. Then, Obama accepted his first presidential nomination at was what then known as Invesco Field at Mile High in Denver.

The party also said Monday that the first day of the convention, which falls on Labor Day, would be held at Charlotte Motor Speedway and would be dedicated to celebrating families and the Southeast.

“We wanted to find a way to truly make this convention different than any other in history," DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Florida congresswoman, said in a statement. "We want this convention to be about more than just the pageantry and speeches you see on television. This is about engaging Americans in a meaningful way."

“With changes in format and venue ... we are underlining the mission of this convention -- to engage Americans,” Steve Kerrigan, chief executive of the Democratic National Convention Committee, said in a statement.