Milwaukee has made the cut as Tom Perez, the Democratic National Committee chairman, narrows down the three cities he will choose between to host the 2020 Democratic Convention.
Campaigning against Miami and Houston, many hope Milwaukee will be the city where Democrats will nominate their 2020 presidential candidate.
"We have felt all along that we had a very strong case for the 2020 Democratic National Convention," Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said. “It is clear that Wisconsin and the Midwest are going to be a major battleground in 2020. And the fact that the national Democrats have not held a national convention in the Midwest outside of Chicago since 1916, when they held the convention in St. Louis, underscores the necessity to have the convention here."
Assembly Majority Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said holding the convention in Milwaukee would make Republicans “realize why we want to have Donald Trump re-elected.”
Vos also told reporters on Thursday the convention would have a positive economic impact on the state and bring in “limousine liberals.”
Miami DNC donor Joe Falk promoted Miami’s ability compared to Milwaukee’s to house wealthy Democrats in luxurious hotels and other “comfortable” facilities.
Gov. Tony Evers defended Milwaukee against Falk’s comments.
"I think that Democrats have an extraordinarily large tent — people from all walks of life— and Milwaukee is absolutely the best place for them," Gov. Evers said. "If Miami is touting themselves as the place for wealthy Democrats to show up, there won't be many."
However, finances, traffic and an overwhelming increase in security measures for the four-day convention might keep some in Milwaukee from wanting to host the event.
The DNC's proposal requested a $20 million line of credit from the winning city based on its size and projected costs, which could be up to $70 million for Milwaukee, according to data from the Journal Sentinel.
If granted the bid, the convention would be held in the city’s brand new state of the art Fiserv Forum.
