2024 Democratic National Convention to be Hosted in Chicago

Chicago will be the host of 2024 Democratic National Convention which will meet to nominate President Joseph R. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to run for a second-term in the White House.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced in a press release the United Center will be the location of the convention which is set to run from Aug.19-22, 2024. Chicago last hosted a nominating convention in 1996 when Democrats came to the city to nominate Bill Clinton for a second-term. 

Chicago beat out Atlanta and New York which had been identified as the other finalists in the competition to host the event, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

DNC Chair Jaimie Harrison said hosting the event in Chicago highlights the importance of the Midwest, which is home to several key battleground states, as a key voting bloc in the 2024 election. 

“The Midwest reflects America and will give Democrats an opportunity to showcase some of President Biden and Vice President Harris’s most significant accomplishments for American families,” Harrison said in the press release. “I’m grateful to the leadership of Chicago’s bid for being great partners, as well as to the other cities for putting forward such strong bids.”

The Republican National Committee announced in August it will be hosting its convention 2024 just up the Lake Michigan shoreline in Milwaukee July 15-18, 2024, the AP reported. 

Biden said Chicago is a great choice to host the convention due to its democratic values, commitment to labor and world-class amenities. 

“Democrats will gather to showcase our historic progress including building an economy from the middle out and bottom up, not from the top down,” Biden said in the press release. “From repairing our roads and bridges, to unleashing a manufacturing boom and creating over 12.5 million new good-paying jobs, we’ve already delivered so much for hard working Americans – now it’s time to finish the job.”

In their 2020 election victory, Biden and Harris received sizable support from Chicago where they garnered 82.5% of the city’s votes, according to the Chicago Board of Elections. Illinois last voted for a Republican in a presidential race in 1988 when the state gave its electoral votes to George H.W. Bush. 

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who helped lead the effort to lobby for Chicago as the convention site with other prominent Illinois politicians, said the city and its diverse population shows the best of America and its people. 

“The 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago will welcome people from across the nation to an unforgettable event highlighting our party’s vision for lifting up working families and those who too often have been left out and left behind,” Pritzker said. 

Outgoing Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she was deeply honored Biden and the DNC selected Chicago as the host city. 

“I want to commend all the city government leaders who demonstrated with a proven track record of excellence that by choosing Chicago, the DNC, convention delegates, volunteers and others would be treated to a first class experience in our world class city,” Lightfoot said in the release. “The DNC will create once-in-a-generation opportunities for job creation and business growth here in our city, and I’m proud that we got it done for the people of Chicago.”

Featured image by Griffin Krueger | The Phoenix