Delaware leaders show optimism, support for Philly after Amazon releases HQ2 shortlist

On Thursday, Amazon announced the 20 cities still in the running for its second headquarters, and Wilmington didn’t make the cut — though the city is located in the metro area of Philadelphia, which is on the list.

As you probably recall, Amazon caused a bit of a frenzy across the country when it announced it was going to build a second headquarters and asked for proposals from city leaders.

Delaware’s pitch centered on the video “Options in Delaware,”produced by Short Order Production House and featuring narrator Newton Buchanan, who extolled the advantages of the state with humor and a healthy level of enthusiasm. The video, smartly, was designed to be used to sell the state to companies looking for a new or second home in general, not just Amazon.

Gov. John Carney, U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons, Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, Mayor of Wilmington Mike Purzycki and New Castle County Executive Matthew Meyer issued the following statement on Amazon’s second North American headquarters:

Of course we are disappointed that Amazon has not chosen Delaware as a finalist location for its second North American headquarters,” the joint statement reads. “But we used this opportunity to showcase all the options in Delaware not just for Amazon, but for any business looking for a location to set down roots and grow. In that respect, Delaware’s effort – which brought together leaders in the public and private sectors to promote our great state – was a resounding success. Going forward, we’ll do everything we can to support Philadelphia’s application, to help bring Amazon to our region.