Democrats have chosen Chicago to host their national convention in 2024, hoping to maintain the party’s momentum following last fall’s midterm election victory in the vital Midwest.
The choice, revealed by a Democratic official who spoke on the condition of anonymity ahead of an official announcement on Tuesday, comes after President Joseph Biden chose Chicago over finalists Atlanta and New York.
Chicago, like Illinois, is firmly Democratic.
Yet, putting the party’s presidential nominating convention in such a pro-union city indicates Biden’s devotion to organized labor, which will be essential in his drive for a second term in office.
The move might also go against Republicans, who agreed this summer to hold their 2024 convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, another important Midwestern battleground state.
The 2020 Democratic National Convention was intended to be held in Milwaukee, however it was canceled due to the coronavirus epidemic.
Last year, Biden accepted his party’s nomination in a practically empty convention venue in Wilmington, Delaware, where he maintains a house and frequently spends weekends away from the White House.
Milwaukee, on the other hand, leveraged its 2020 convention planning to convince Republicans that it had a “turnkey” organization ready for next year.
The tragic 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago is primarily remembered for a deadly fight between police and anti-Vietnam War protestors. The city hosted the Democratic National Convention in 1996, when President Bill Clinton won a second term.
J. B. Pritzker, the Democratic governor of Illinois, was a strong advocate for Chicago. He cited Democrats ambitions to expand their electoral victories in the Midwest, particularly in Michigan, where the party held the governorship and control of both chambers of the legislature during the midterm elections last year.
Notwithstanding Georgia’s strategic importance as a swing state, the fact that Chicago defeated Atlanta was surprising. Biden won Georgia two years ago, becoming the first Democrat to do so in a presidential race since Bill Clinton in 1992, and his party currently holds both Senate seats after victories that grabbed national notice in the previous two elections.
Because Atlanta is as Democratic as Chicago and New York, Georgia could play a significant role in the 2024 presidential election.
Yet, some prominent Democrats were concerned about the state’s Republican-controlled legislature and state statutes that discourage union participation and LGBTQ rights. Concerns were also raised about Georgia’s permissive gun restrictions, particularly in light of the recent spate of school shootings around the country – despite the fact that gun violence is a longstanding problem in Chicago.
Nevertheless, Georgia may suffer a double blow if the convention is not held in Atlanta. The state may also lose its early position on the new Democratic primary calendar.
Biden supported relocating Georgia to the No. 4 spot in a redesigned Democratic primary calendar for 2024, changes designed to better empower the party’s deeply diverse voting base than the previous system, which began with largely white Iowa.
Georgia would have gone after leadoff South Carolina and after Nevada and New Hampshire, which were due to go second concurrently under a new primary order adopted by the Democratic National Committee in March. It was slated to be ranked higher than Michigan, a new early Democratic primary state at No. 5.
On Super Tuesday in early March, the top five would have the opportunity to vote ahead of the majority of the country.
Georgia, on the other hand, could lose the fourth position because Republican state authorities have refused to reschedule the primary to an earlier date that would conflict with the GOP’s presidential primary next year. Having secured the convention might have cushioned the impact of being forced out of the primary’s early lineup — but that wasn’t to be.
As he seeks reelection, the president is already looking ahead to the general election in 2024, rather than the primary, with just a minimal challenge from Democratic opponent Marianne Williamson, a spiritual adviser and novelist, and anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
In presidential elections, New York City and State are also solidly blue. Yet, choosing it for the convention may have aided Democrats in other regions of the state, according to supporters. Long Island was among those affected, as Republican wins in crucial congressional districts helped the GOP flip the House last year.
Advocates of Atlanta’s bid suggested that the city and the rest of Georgia might help lead a Democratic resurgence in the South, which remains mostly Republican.
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