Lake Michigan battleground: Democrats pick Chicago for national convention a month after Milwaukee hosts RNC
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MADISON – The next presidential election will take shape on the shores of Lake Michigan now that Democrats have chosen Chicago to host their 2024 national convention, taking place a month after Republicans will gather in Milwaukee to nominate their presidential nominee.
National Democrats will convene in the Democratic stronghold of Illinois four years after organizing and then calling off the 2020 national convention that was supposed to take place in Milwaukee but was ultimately carried out mostly virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement Tuesday, the Democratic National Committee gave a nod to the importance of Wisconsin and other Midwestern states to its presidential strategy.
"The DNC is returning to the Midwest, a critical Democratic stronghold: Illinois along with Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota — part of the “blue wall” — were crucial to the 2020 victory of President Biden and Vice President Harris and to Democrats’ success in the 2022 midterm elections," party officials said in a statement.
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat from Madison who will likely be on the ballot in 2024, said Tuesday the recent state Supreme Court race underscored the region's role in Democratic victories.
"The decisive results we saw in our Supreme Court race last week prove that Democrats win when they invest in the Midwest. That’s exactly what our party is doing by hosting our convention here," Baldwin tweeted.
The decision was announced Tuesday after President Joe Biden signaled his support of Chicago over Atlanta and New York City.
“Chicago is a great choice to host the 2024 Democratic National Convention,” said Biden, who has said he plans to run for re-election in 2024. “Democrats will gather to showcase our historic progress including building an economy from the middle out and bottom up, not from the top down."
The Democrats' national convention will take place at the United Center in downtown Chicago from August 19-22 in 2024. Republicans will gather in Milwaukee from July 15 to July 18 largely at Fiserv Forum in the city's downtown.
Fiserv Forum will serve as the centerpiece for the convention, along with a newly expanded Wisconsin Center. Delegates are expected to be housed within 30 minutes of the main convention sites.
More: Milwaukee will host a Republican presidential primary debate, RNC chair Ronna McDaniel confirms
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, who lobbied heavily for the Republicans to bring their convention to the city, said Milwaukee could also benefit from the Democratic convention in Chicago.
“With the Republicans selecting Milwaukee and Democrats choosing Chicago, it is clear the Midwest is front-and-center this Presidential election cycle. I’m happy for Chicago, and I will certainly extend an invitation to Democratic convention goers to come on up to Milwaukee.”
RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in December: "We look forward to our continued work with the beautiful city of Milwaukee to make this convention week a success. Republicans will stand united in Milwaukee in 2024 to share our message of freedom and opportunity with the world."
The local host committee, headed by Reince Priebus, a former White House chief of staff under ex-President Donald Trump, is responsible for raising funds for the event, with a target of $65 million.
On Tuesday, McDaniel said "we look forward to the DNC’s convention where their radical agenda will be on full display for the world to see."
"Voters will soundly reject whichever out-of-touch liberal the Democrats nominate in Chicago and instead elect our Republican nominee as the next President of the United States," she said.
Alison Dirr of the Journal Sentinel contributed.
Molly Beck can be reached at molly.beck@jrn.com.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Chicago to host DNC a month after Republicans gather in Milwaukee
