Southern Democrats are chastising their party for deciding to host its 2024 National Convention in Chicago instead of Atlanta when they’re adamant Atlanta was integral to President Joe Biden’s win in 2020.
Atlanta boosters aggressively lobbied to host the event, portraying the city as the cradle of the civil rights movement and emphasizing the importance of Georgia as a critical in Democrat’s battle for the South.
Despite these efforts, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced Tuesday (April 11) that it would be hosting the 2024 convention in Chicago, elevating the liberal city among the upper Midwest’s e so-called “blue wall” and standing with union leaders who oppose Atlanta as a host site because of Georgia’s controversial history with organized labor.
One Georgia Democrat described the decision to host the convention in Chicago as “a slap in the face,” highlighting the economic benefit associated with hosting such an event.
The operative added that there was “symbolism” for Democrat leaders to consider, saying hosting in Atlanta would be the equivalent of leaders saying, “Hey, Georgia has delivered for us, and we’re not taking that for granted.”
Atlanta boosters worked for months to convince Biden and Democratic officials that the city was ready for the event. They took more than $20 million in financial commitments from donors and corporations and relied heavily on the claim that Georgia gave the Democrats their current power in Washington. A January letter from over 65 current and former Democratic federal, state, and local officials to Biden homed in on that argument, telling the President that “everything [Democrats] accomplished as a party since January 2021 can be traced back to Georgia,” and specifically to Atlanta which turned the state in our favor.
The letter also claimed Democratic turnout in Georgia was the reason Biden and Vice President Harris are in the White House instead of former President Donald Trump and the reason Democrats have kept their Senate majority.
