Joe Biden and the Democrats pick Chicago to host 2024 convention
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WASHINGTON — Democrats will hold their 2024 nomination convention in Chicago, the party said Tuesday, returning to frequent convention site in an effort to build momentum developed during the two previous national elections.
“Democrats will gather to showcase our historic progress," Biden said in announcing the selection of Chicago for the convention to be held Aug. 19-22 next year.
Biden easily carried Chicago and the state of Illinois in 2020 en route to his victory over President Donald Trump in the 2020 election. In 2022 congressional elections, Democrats kept control of the U,S. Senate and held House losses to less than ten seats.
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In its announcement, the Democratic National Committee said that "Illinois along with Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota – part of the 'blue wall' – were crucial" to Democratic successes.
During the convention application process, the DNC said it sent site evaluation teams to Atlanta, Houston, and New York, as well as Chicago.
In going to such a pro-union city as Chicago, Biden and the Democrats demonstrated their commitment to organized labor, a key part of their bid to keep control of the White House.
The Republicans are holding their 2024 convention in another major Midwestern city: Milwaukee in July. The state of Wisconsin, which Biden won in 2020 and Trump carried in 2016, figures to be a pivotal state again in the next presidential election.
Republicans, including Trump, have attacked Chicago in recent years over its levels of violence.
The news comes one week after Chicagoans chose progressive Brandon Johnson over tough-on-crime candidate Paul Vallas to be the next mayor of the nation’s third-largest city.
In its convention announcement, the DNC included a string of testimonials from local leaders, including the mayor-elect.
“Chicago is a world-class city that looks like America and demonstrates the values of the Democratic Party,” Johnson said. "We are unmatched when it comes to hosting events of this scale."
But Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel ridiculed the Chicago selection: “We look forward to the DNC’s convention where their radical agenda will be on full display for the world to see.”
Chicago has hosted at least two dozens major political conventions, from the fractious 1860 Republican meeting that nominated Abraham Lincoln to the placid 1996 get-together that re-nominated President Bill Clinton.
Famous conventions in the Windy City included the one in 1932 that first selected Franklin D. Roosevelt to be the Democrats' presidential nominee; FDR flew to Chicago to accept the nomination in person, establishing a precedent that has been followed ever since. Democrats met in Chicago again in 1940 to nominate Roosevelt for an unprecedented third term.
Republicans used to meet in Chicago back when the city was more divided politically. In 1952, GOP supporters of Dwight Eisenhower outmaneuvered allies of Robert Taft to claim nomination of the World War II general for the first of his two terms in the White House.
In announcing Chicago for the 2024 convention, Biden cited job growth and roads-and-bridges projects as cornerstones for his expected re-election campaign.
"We’ve already delivered so much for hard working Americans," Biden said. "Now it’s time to finish the job.”
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The Associated Press contributed to this report
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Joe Biden, Democrats pick Chicago to host 2024 convention
