Democrats from across the Midwest are urging President Biden to support Chicago’s bid to become the location for the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
A group of 34 senators, House members, governors and mayors from the Midwest signed a letter addressed to Biden and Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison in which they called for the upcoming convention to be held in Chicago, arguing that the Midwest is a part of the “blue wall” that has been a “key to Democratic presidential victories for decades.” The letter, sent on Wednesday, stated that Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois have voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since 1992, with the only exception being former President Trump’s election in 2016.
“Those states were taken for granted until ominous warning signs flashed on Election Day, at which point they were already lost,” the letter read. “That single exception proves the rule: When the future of the country hangs in the balance, we cannot afford to overlook the Midwest.”
The letter was first reported by NBC News.
Chicago is one of three finalists to host the Democratic National Convention. New York City and Atlanta are also among the final contenders, multiple outlets reported.
The letter said that the state in which the convention is held should reflect the party’s values and argued that states in the Midwest have had “strong labor unions for generations, an oasis for reproductive choice and a stronghold of civil rights protections.” The Midwestern lawmakers also reiterated that the region is strongly repressed by Democratic governors and senators and highlighted that Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota have “Democratic trifectas” in each state.
“Convening in an anti-labor, pro-gun, anti-choice, vote-suppressing state would be akin to talking the talk without walking the walk,” the officials wrote. “Bringing the convention to the Midwest means reinforcing the party’s commitment not only to the nation’s industrial heartland, but also to those voters who have repeatedly propelled Democrats to victory.”
Southern Democrats have urged Biden, who has yet to announce a formal bid for reelection, to hold the convention in Atlanta, saying in a January letter that selecting Georgia would help validate the voters who helped deliver Democratic wins in the 2022 midterms and the 2020 election.