Midwestern Democrats urge Biden to choose Chicago for DNC convention
Cami Mondeaux
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Democratic lawmakers across the Midwest are urging President Joe Biden to choose Chicago as the location for the Democratic National Convention, arguing the city is “indispensable” for a presidential victory in 2024.
A group of 35 Democrats across nine states penned a letter to Biden on Wednesday, urging the president to choose the blue city as the location for the prominent convention, which serves as the meeting place for party leaders to select their presidential nominee. The lawmakers pointed to Democratic successes in Midwestern states, arguing the party “cannot afford” to overlook voters in states such as Michigan and Illinois.
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“The election of 2016 is a cautionary tale that the Democratic National Committee, now choosing where to hold its nominating convention in 2024, must take to heart,” the group wrote. “In an incredibly polarized nation, whose electoral college model has a griphold on election outcomes, the Midwest is utterly indispensable to the party’s success and should be the home of its 2024 convention.”
The group highlighted the party’s strength in Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, noting the four states have reliably backed Democratic presidential nominees in every election since 1992 — with the exception of former President Donald Trump’s victory in 2016. That historic win by Trump occurred partly due to Democratic leaders taking the Midwest “for granted,” they wrote.
Several high-profile Democrats signed on to the letter, such as Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Gary Peters (D-MI), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH). A group of Democratic governors — including Govs. Gretchen Whitmer (MI), J.B. Pritzker (IL), Tony Evers (WI), and Tim Walz (MN) — also signed on to the letter.
The letter comes as DNC officials are considering where to host the annual convention, with both Chicago and Atlanta being considered front-runners for the bid. The group of Midwestern lawmakers pushed back on Atlanta’s bid, arguing it “would be akin to talking the talk without walking the walk.”
“The Midwest is the beating heart of America — a place that consistently demonstrates how common-sense, progressive policies work for families and make us all stronger,” they wrote. “Here, the unionization movement is thriving. Reproductive freedom is protected. Voting rights are not merely defended but expanded because we know the democratic process is stronger when it includes us all.”
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Local lawmakers have been vying for the opportunity to host the event, as the Democratic National Convention is set to nominate the party’s presidential and vice presidential candidates and adopt an official party platform for the next election cycle. Democrats held the 2020 Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee.
A final decision on where the 2024 Democratic National Convention will be is expected to be announced sometime in the spring, similar to the timeline used in 2020.