DNC chair visits New York as Democrats mull 2016 convention site

As the Democratic National Committee (DNC) nears a final decision on the location of the party's 2016 presidential nominating convention, DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz is scouting potential sites in New York City on Friday, a DNC spokeswoman tells CBS News.

Wasserman-Schultz, a congresswoman from South Florida, will meet with New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio and other top city officials, the New York Daily News reports.

She'll also tour the Barclays Center, a new, 18,000+ seat arena in Brooklyn that city officials have promoted as the ideal site for the convention.

"She's never seen the Barclays Center," New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, who will join Wasserman-Schultz on her jaunt, told the Daily News. "I think [she'll] be impressed."

Schumer said he's spoken with people in the White House about New York's bid, and he's advised de Blasio on it as well. He noted that New York could have a bit of a home-field advantage: Wasserman-Schultz was born on Long Island.

"She's going to make a decision on the merits, but she knows firsthand the advantages New York has," he said.

New York is sparing no expense to woo the Democrats as 2016 approaches. De Blasio announced Thursday that the city has secured $20 million in pledges to underwrite the convention, and it already has $6.5 million on hand. The city's host committee is also stacked with big names (and Democratic donors) like Vogue editor Anna Wintour, Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein, and American Express CEO Kenneth Chenault.

Wasserman-Schultz's trip to New York comes after similar stops this week in Columbus, Ohio, and Philadelphia, the other two cities in contention.