Chicago will host the 2024 Democratic National Convention, and one of the city's biggest cheerleaders on the national stage is excited for the event to come to the Midwest.
Former President Barack Obama, who worked as a community organizer and served in both the Illinois and U.S. Senate before being elected to the Oval Office in 2008, expressed his excitement about the news in a social media post Tuesday.
“There’s no place like Chicago,” the former president said in a social media post. “Michelle and I are thrilled to have the Democratic National Convention return to our hometown next year.”
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Obama is of course no stranger to the bright lights of the convention stage. He leapt onto the national scene with his keynote address at the 2004 event in Boston, and accepted the party's presidential nomination at a packed football stadium in Denver during the 2008 convention.
The former president has also made plenty of noteworthy speeches in Chicago itself, including his victory address after the 2008 election in Grant Park and his farewell address at McCormick Place in 2017.
A spokesperson for Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker told NBC 5 the city has been selected for the 2024 edition of the convention, topping bids from Atlanta and New York.
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The Democratic National Committee announced the news in a release Tuesday morning, saying the Midwest continued to be a "critical Democratic stronghold."
“Chicago is a great choice to host the 2024 Democratic National Convention,” President Joe Biden said in a statement. “Democrats will gather to showcase our historic progress including building an economy from the middle out and bottom up, not from the top down. From repairing our roads and bridges, to unleashing a manufacturing boom, and creating over 12.5 million new good-paying jobs, we’ve already delivered so much for hard working Americans – now it’s time to finish the job.”
The convention is scheduled to take place Aug. 19-22, 2024, at the United Center.
Last year, officials announced a bid to bring the convention to Chicago. The video announcement was accompanied by endorsements from top Illinois Democrats, including Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
“The 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago will welcome people from across the nation to an unforgettable event highlighting our party’s vision for lifting up working families and those who too often have been left out and left behind,” Pritzker said in a statement. “Our great global city and its diverse communities, unparalleled hospitality, and world renowned venues shows off the best of America and its people represent the heart of our country.”
Lightfoot said the convention will create "once-in-a-generation opportunities for job creation and business growth here in our city." Meanwhile, Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson, who will be in office at the time of the event, said he looks forward to working with the DNC "to facilitate a spectacular convention that showcases Chicago's diverse culture, our beautiful lakefront, our renowned hospitality sector, and our best asset: our amazing people."
Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth said Chicago's "union labor advantage, hotel capacity” and the city's location played key roles in its selection over other cities.
“We’re right in the middle of the battleground states," she told NBC 5 shortly after the announcement was made.
Republicans last year chose Milwaukee in swing state Wisconsin for their 2024 national convention.
The DNC also noted the city will "showcase President Biden’s economic agenda that is rebuilding our roads and bridges, unleashing a manufacturing boom, and creating good-paying middle-class jobs."
Chicago last hosted the convention in 1996 when former President Bill Clinton accepted the party's nomination for a second term in office.
