Dems kick off 5-city fight to host 2028 convention
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Democratic Party officials this week are launching their in-person vetting of potential 2028 convention sites, with trips to the finalist cities — Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver and Philadelphia.
Why it matters: The Democratic National Convention is a crucial time for the party to reach a large national audience to make its case for retaking the White House in 2028.
- Teams representing the contending cities already are knifing one another to try to land the event, which can bring prestige and an economic boost from tens of thousands of visitors.
The intrigue: Each city has a team and outside allies trying to land the convention by promoting their city — and trying to undermine the others.
- Already, whisper campaigns are pointing out the potential flaws of each finalist:
- Atlanta doesn't have enough union hotels, Chicago hosted the convention in 2024, Boston signals "liberal elite," Denver isn't in a swing state — and Philadelphia, the 2016 host, is a reminder of the year Hillary Clinton lost the election.
Driving the news: Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin and Alex Hornbrook, the executive director of the 2024 Democratic National Convention, are overseeing the selection process.
- They'll be joined this week by party leaders including DNC vice chair Malcolm Kenyatta, associate chair Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio, and national finance chairs Chris Korge and Chris Lowe.
- "The Democratic National Convention is our biggest opportunity to celebrate our future presidential ticket on the national stage," Martin told Axios in a statement.
Between the lines: Which city lands the convention is a combination of politicking, money, messaging, and logistical capacity.
- Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker helped land the convention for Chicago in 2024 with a fundraising committee that pledged not to leave the DNC with any debt from the convention.
- Other logistical issues like the number of available hotel rooms and proximity to the arena can also be key to becoming the winner.
There's also Democratic nostalgia — and trauma — for some cities that can affect the final choice.
- Many Democrats fondly remember the 2008 convention in Denver that ultimately led to Barack Obama's victory.
- Others have terrible memories associated with the 2016 convention in Philadelphia. Just before that convention, WikiLeaks posted thousands of internal DNC emails showing party officials favored Clinton over Bernie Sanders. Fifteen weeks later, Donald Trump was elected president.
- Republicans have already picked Houston for their 2028 convention.
