Chicago unveiled its pitch to host the 2024 Democratic National Convention Tuesday morning, releasing a slickly produced video narrated by favorite son Common that showcases Chicago as the “heartland of Democracy” and the best place to launch the party’s pitch to voters.
Chicago is one of at least seven cities to be asked by the Democratic National Committee to bid for the convention to be held in the summer of 2024, officials said. […]
Illinois’ top Democrats joined forces with labor and business leaders to announce the bid, with Gov. J.B. Pritzker saying the convention would infuse $150 million into Illinois’ economy and boost Chicago’s flagging tourism and hospitality industries, which have been slow to recover amid the lingering COVID-19 pandemic.
A convention hosted in Chicago would “invite the nation to explore the Land of Lincoln and Obama,” Pritzker said in a statement.
The last Democratic convention in Chicago was in 1996 and propelled President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore on to reelection. Before that, there was the tumultuous 1968 convention, which is often best remembered for anti-Vietnam protests and violence.
Much of Chicago’s current image around the country is focused on crime - and leaders say this would be an opportunity to change that.
“This is a really important economic development and branding tool for Chicago,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.
“We have the right leadership, the right infrastructure,” said Senator Cristina Castro, a convention delegate. “The city of Chicago is the perfect location to host this.”
It would either be an opportunity to help change the city’s image or reinforce that image if something really bad happens.
Last month, the DNC sent out formal letters to eight cities, including Chicago, Houston and Atlanta, asking city officials to submit bids for holding the quadrennial nominating convention. Organizers said that cities have until May 27 to submit their proposals to the DNC in order to be considered. The financial commitments are expected in the city’s formal response to the DNC’s request for proposals later this month.
As expected, the video submission for Chicago did not touch on outbreaks of violent crime in the city, something Republicans seeking to challenge Pritzker in the November general election and opponents of Lightfoot have noted as she faces reelection next year.
The announcement also did not include a dollar amount of prospective city, state and private financial inducements to lure the DNC to Chicago. […]
But hospitality industry officials said they were hopeful of winning the 2024 event to provide an influx of as many as 50,000 people to the city and inject revenue into hotels and restaurants that were severely hurt by pandemic closures and restrictions.
* Rather than focus on the video, the Sun-Times reported out some substance…
The Request for Proposal the Democratic National Committee sent to Chicago said the city would need to accommodate 50,000 participants — with the DNC alone needing a block of 15,000 hotel rooms for delegates, party officials, high-end donors and President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Cabinet members, Secret Service and White House staff. […]
The bid will also stress how accessible Chicago — in the center of the nation — is by car, plane and train. A very strong selling point of Chicago — with 50,000 hotel rooms within the city — is unlike other convention cities — where participants may face horrendous commutes from hotels to convention events — the event venues, restaurants, tourist attractions, even the Cubs and Sox stadiums are all close to downtown. […]
The bid will provide the DNC with menus of multiple options for using not only the United Center but — and this is not the complete list — McCormick Place, the Wintrust Arena, Navy Pier, Soldier Field and the Museum Campus. […]
The DNC will require an extensive financial package from the host city to cover a variety of costs — from festivities connected to a political convention to paying for the venue itself, to covering costs for a visit from the DNC site selection team. […]
Pritzker, asked about taxpayer expenses, said, “We have a lot of conventions as you know that come to the city of Chicago. We’ve had major gatherings, international and national, in the city of Chicago, and I wouldn’t expect that the expenditure by the city would be any more than any of those.”
For too long, Illinois has been known as a haven for Democrat corruptocrats and wannabe communists. But it wasn’t always this way. Our state gave the country the leader who won the Civil War, and the leader who won the Cold War. I’m running for governor to be the leader that helps us win the culture war. Our kids aren’t racists. Boys aren’t girls. And we’re never allowing our kids to be used as political pawns ever again. If you agree with this kind of good old America First common sense and want a leader who can’t be bought, then please vote for me.
I still have trouble grasping why Pat Brady, who for decades billed himself as a moderate Republican and as the go-to GOP guy for Chicago political (especially TV) reporters, is working to nominate Rabine. But, hey, it’s a free country.
