The Democratic National Convention will be held in Chicago in 2024, the DNC confirmed on Tuesday. The convention is set to take place from August 19 to 22.
In a statement, the Democratic National Committee said Chicago had been chosen because it represents a “wide range of midwestern Democrats who represent the diversity of the party, demonstrating the formidable coalition that will help re-elect President Biden and Vice President Harris, and elect Democrats up-and-down the ticket.”
Mr. Biden has not formally announced if he is running for reelection in 2024, he told NBC News on Monday, “I plan on running, but we’re not prepared to announce it yet.”
Republicans have already chosen Milwaukee to host the Republican National Convention in 2024.
Although the Midwest was once a vital swing zone for both parties, it has recently shifted to the right. Former President Obama won Ohio twice, while former President Donald Trump won it by approximately 8 points in 2016 and 2020.
Trump won Wisconsin and Michigan in 2016, but those states went to Mr. Biden in 2020.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois said that the Midwest is “key to a victory in 2024, and there is no city better positioned to reach those voters than Chicago.”
Chicago was chosen ahead of other candidates such as Atlanta and New York. The selection of a solidly blue city in a safe blue state contrasts with prior decisions in blue cities in swing states, such as Philadelphia in 2016; Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2012; and Denver in 2008.
The Democrats’ 2020 convention was scheduled in Milwaukee but was forced to be held entirely online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The last Democratic National Convention in Chicago occurred in 1996 when President Bill Clinton was nominated for a second term.
It was the first time the Democrats conducted their nominating convention there since the violent 1968 convention when police cracked down on demonstrations outside as Vice President Hubert Humphrey was proclaimed Democratic nominee.
As CBS Chicago has reported, local state and political leaders had been lobbying for the DNC to bring the convention to the city. Mayor Lori Lightfoot told the station in July that the tradition could bring up to $200 million into the local economy and 50,000 visitors to the town for the week of the convention. And Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker told CBS Chicago that “hosting the DNC in Chicago in 2024 will bring thousands of labor-friendly jobs to our city and our state.”
A tweet from Ronna McDaniel’s official twitter account:
I am excited to announce that the RNC has voted unanimously to select Milwaukee as the host city for the 2024 Republican National Convention!
Milwaukee is a world-class city, and we are eager to see it shine in the spotlight come 2024.
— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) August 5, 2022
Chicago has a long history of being a staunchly Democratic city. The Obama Presidential Center, which is now under development and scheduled to complete in 2025 on the city’s South Side, will be located there.
Before becoming president, Obama lived in Chicago and represented Illinois in the United States Senate. He said he wanted the center to help transform the city’s often-ignored South Side into a tourism destination.
“Chicago is where I found the purpose that I had been seeking,” Obama said at 2021 groundbreaking.
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For almost 4 years, Jason Martin has been a freelance writer for newspapers, journals, blogs, books, and online material. He covers the most recent news as well as many other topics.