DENVER - This one-time cow town at the foot of the Rockies is two time zones and 1,500 miles away from the power centers of New York and Washington, but city and state officials say it can handle the demands of 35,000 visitors and the intense spotlight that would come with the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

Denver, they point out, has played with the big boys before.

The city hosted Pope John Paul II and hundreds of thousands of people for World Youth Day in 1993. In 1997, it hosted several world leaders for the Summit of the Eight.

"That's something that's been noticed and is a very critical part of the process," said Debbie Willhite, executive director of Denver's convention host committee.

Denver and New York are finalists for the 2008 gathering. The two biggest obstacles Denver faces are union support and raising the estimated $55 million in cash the event will require.

Labor, traditionally a key constituency of the Democratic Party, has raised questions about Denver, pointing out it has few unionized hotels.

Mayor John Hickenlooper has acknowledged that raising the cash is likely to be Denver's biggest challenge.

But Denver's backers say the city - with a population of about 557,000, and another 2 million or so in nearby counties - has the facilities and the experience to handle the logistics.

Willhite got a good look at the area's accommodations as executive director of the White House's planning for the 1997 summit.

"And it's only gotten better: more hotels, more downtown development," Willhite said.

More than 19,000 hotel rooms are within 20 minutes of the Pepsi Center, the downtown basketball and hockey arena where the convention would be held, Willhite said. About 18,000 rooms are needed because many delegates and officials are expected to share accommodations, officials said.

A new 19-mile light-rail line has made hotels in the southeast metro area more accessible.

Hickenlooper said the city is used to hosting tens of thousands of visitors on weekends and busy sports nights. Denver has NFL, NBA, NHL and major league baseball teams that play in three venues, two of them within a few blocks of each other in central Denver.

"We sometimes have 130,000 to 140,000 people coming in," Hickenlooper said. "There are over 300 restaurants in Denver."

Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., said Denver is more than ready for prime time. As state natural resources chief during the pope's 1993 visit, Salazar handled permits and other accommodations.

"That was a half million people," Salazar said.

Willhite and Hickenlooper say the city is working to resolve the union and funding issues.

Workers in at least one downtown hotel have won permission to organize, thanks in part to influence from the city, which helped finance the hotel with bonds.

Willhite said the convention committee is negotiating with the unions on contracts for work at the convention.

In November, the Colorado AFL-CIO passed a resolution approving Denver's bid. The Denver Area Labor Federation, which represents about 80 unions, originally opposed bringing the convention to Denver but has changed its stance to neutral.

Leslie Moody, president of the Denver federation, said her counterparts in other cities remain leery of Denver because they usually patronize only unionized hotels.

"We're just trying to encourage them to be open, to use the leverage of the convention to help unionize," Moody said of other unions.

Amanda Cooper, spokeswoman for Unite Here, which represents 90,000 unionized hotel and special-events workers nationwide, acknowledged that Denver's lack of unionized facilities will matter to union members.

"I certainly hope that the Democratic National Committee's thinking about that," Cooper said. "Whether that translates into anyone advocating one way or another, I don't know."

Willhite said Denver has met the Democratic National Committee's funding criteria, but she declined to say how much money or in-kind contributions have been raised or pledged.

Hickenlooper said Denver has a limited number of large companies to tap for financial contribution. That's why city and state officials are looking to neighboring states for contributions.

"We've been looking at this as not just an opportunity for Denver, but the whole Rocky Mountain region," he said.

Some say the financial payoff for Denver would be big - from $150 million to $200 million that delegates, the media and other visitors will spend on meals, transportation and lodging, said Tom Clark, executive vice president of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp.

Boston and economic development officials said the 2004 Democratic convention generated a net $163 million for the city. A report by the public policy think tank Beacon Hill Institute at Boston's Suffolk University came up with a much different figure - $14.8 million.

Clark said the think tank's study included the costs of losing other events because of the convention.

"You win some, you lose some," Clark said. "This is really a win for us."