Democrats have chosen Chicago to host their 2024 national convention, according to several reports on Tuesday.
The decision was impacted by Democrats’ attempts to sustain the party’s momentum in the Midwest following its success in the region in the 2022 midterm elections.
Chicago was chosen over other finalists New York City and Atlanta.
Much like the rest of the state of Illinois, Chicago leans solidly Democratic. However, holding the DNC convention there demonstrates President Biden’s commitment to support labor unions. The Democrats perceive the labor vote as critical to securing the current Administration a second term.
During his State of the Union address in February, Biden pressed Congress to pass the PRO Act, which would give workers the right to freely and fairly form a union and bargain together for changes in the workplace.
“[W]orkers have a right to form a union,” Biden said during his speech to a joint session of Congress.
The move to hold the convention in the Midwest also counters the Republicans’ decision to hold their 2024 convention in the Midwestern city of Milwaukee, in the battleground state of Wisconsin.
The DNC’s 2020 convention was meant to be held in Milwaukee, but the Covid pandemic had driven Democrats to hold the nation’s first-ever virtual national party convention.
