Milwaukee named as finalist city in race to host DNC 2020

Houston and Miami Beach also being considered

Mayor Tom Barrett, Congresswoman Gwen Moore and Tim Sheehy, MMAC president

The Democratic National Committee today narrowed its search to select a host city for the 2020 DNC Convention, and Milwaukee is still in the running, according to numerous national reports.

Just days after city leaders on June 18 formally submitted their bid, Milwaukee has been named one of four cities that could host the DNC’s four-day convention, set to take place from July 13-16, 2020.

Houston, Miami Beach and Denver also made the shortlist, but Denver city officials earlier today withdrew their bid due to scheduling conflicts, according to a report in the Denver Post. If true, Milwaukee, Houston and Miami Beach are the final three. 

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“Milwaukee is very excited to be chosen as a finalist for the Democratic National Convention in 2020,” Alex Lasry, senior vice president of the Milwaukee Bucks and the chair of Milwaukee’s bid committee said in a statement.

The committee touts Milwaukee’s growing economy, accessible location, infrastructure, and capability to host large-scale events as the city’s greatest assets for hosting the convention. And of course, the new Milwaukee Bucks arena set to open by September in downtown Milwaukee is an advantage.

“Milwaukee has everything the DNC needs to put on a great convention: a brand-new arena, co-located convention space, and plenty of hotel rooms,” Lasry said. “Milwaukee knows how to handle big events and we know how to put on a great party. There is no place that will be more affordable for delegates and has better weather in July than Milwaukee.”

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The DNC in late summer will visit each finalist city before selecting the host, which will be announced sometime between winter of 2018 and spring of 2019. The last DNC convention was held in Philadelphia in 2016 and reportedly had a $231 million economic impact on the city. The 2016 Republican National Convention was held in Cleveland, Ohio.

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