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Chicago beat out New York, another progressive city, as well as
Atlanta, a city in the presidential battleground state of
Georgia that helped Biden win the White House and gain control
of the Senate. Houston was eliminated earlier in the process.
"Chicago is a great choice to host the 2024 Democratic National
Convention," Biden said in a statement distributed by the
Democratic National Committee (DNC) on Tuesday. "Democrats will
gather to showcase our historic progress including building an
economy from the middle out and bottom up, not from the top
down."
Chicago's supporters made the case that it was diverse, liberal
city that celebrated labor and civil rights. They also argued
that it was located in the critical Midwestern part of the
country that Democrats need to win if they want to retain the
White House, including the competitive states of Michigan and
Wisconsin.
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, a billionaire Democratic donor,
also made clear that his state's largest city had the financial
resources and experience to run a smooth, large-scale event. The
city has hosted several Democratic conventions, including the
tumultuous and violent 1968 gathering during the Vietnam War.
The decision took Democrats in the South by surprise after they
marshaled tens of millions of dollars in support for the bid and
felt that there was some momentum behind it, especially after
Biden endorsed putting South Carolina and Georgia before Iowa in
the party's nominating calendar.
"There'll be some initial heartbreak, which I'm experiencing
right now," said Dominick Perkins, a top Democratic strategist
in Georgia. "But people are still going to continue to do the
work we've always done and we'll continue to get the wins. This
state is trending blue."
The convention, where delegates will formally select a final
Democratic nominee to run in the November 2024 presidential
election, will run from Aug. 19-22 next year, the DNC said.
While he has not officially declared his candidacy, Biden has
said he intends to run for re-election and is yet to face a
serious threat for the nomination despite concerns about the
80-year-old president's age.
(Additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt and Jasper Ward;
Writing by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Doina Chiacu and
Jonathan Oatis)
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