Georgia Democrats on Thursday pitched Atlanta to host the party’s 2028 national convention, painting the city as the heart of a swing state that has become a key player in presidential elections.
Atlanta is one of five finalists to host the convention, and party leaders visited the city this week as part of the vetting process.
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin listened as Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and Georgia Democratic Party Chair Charlie Bailey made their case by highlighting major development efforts downtown ahead of the FIFA World Cup games this summer.
“Atlanta is what’s right for this country,” Dickens said in a swanky ballroom at the new Hotel Phoenix downtown. “Atlanta represents what the Democratic Party needs right now.”
Bailey pointed to Democrats’ success in flipping two Georgia Public Service Commission seats last year, marking the first nonfederal statewide election wins for the party in nearly 20 years.
“What we have in Georgia is the ultimate battleground in our country,” Bailey said. “We talk about winning back faith and winning back trust from voters. Those voters are here.”
Atlanta lost out to Chicago for the 2024 convention. But this time, the city’s proposal is both broader and brasher. City leaders say they’re no longer pitching a promise. Instead, they’re selling a transformed city they argue is already built for the spotlight.
The competition is formidable. Chicago is back in the mix. Philadelphia offers easy access to another crucial swing state. Boston and Denver bring strong donor networks and established convention experience.
But the city has spent heavily to strengthen its case. Atlanta leaders approved a $120 million bond package for street resurfacing, sidewalk repairs and other upgrades downtown, part of a broader push to remake downtown ahead of this summer’s World Cup events.
Major projects such as Centennial Yards and new attractions like Cosm are part of the sales pitch that Atlanta offers something new.
“The DNC has the opportunity to leverage Atlanta’s culture and our cachet,” said Dickens, who is now in his second term. “Boston is history. Philadelphia is played out. Denver is nostalgia. Atlanta is now.”
Credit: Courtesy of Centennial Yards
Credit: Courtesy of Centennial Yards
Plus, local officials point to the region’s usual perks: the world’s busiest airport, thousands of hotel rooms across downtown and a Mercedes-Benz Stadium that has already hosted a Super Bowl, College Football Playoff title game and, soon, World Cup matches.
“Atlanta is built for big events,” said AJ Robinson, the president and CEO of downtown’s main civic organization, Central Atlanta Progress.
“We have so much more to offer any convention that hasn’t been here in almost 40 years,” he said. “And Georgia has changed politically, so it would be great if we could show off Atlanta to the Democratic Party.”
That last point remains central. Atlanta has not hosted a Democratic convention since 1988, when Michael Dukakis accepted the nomination and Georgia was still a Democratic bastion. Today, party leaders would frame a return as proof the South is central to their future.
During site visits, DNC leadership and members of the party’s Technical Advisory Group will assess venue capacity, hotel availability, transportation infrastructure, security planning and fundraising commitments in each city.
Atlanta is tapping some of its most prominent political figures to help support the bid. Former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young, a civil rights icon and former mayor of Atlanta, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he’s already involved with courting the convention.
When Democrats chose Chicago for the 2024 convention, it was a stinging setback for Georgia leaders who hoped the event would showcase the state’s rise from Republican stronghold to premier battleground.
Back then, boosters leaned heavily on President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory in Georgia and the U.S. Senate wins by Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, arguing that bringing the convention to the South would underscore the party’s commitment to expanding the electoral map. They borrowed their slogan from the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis’ iconic mantra: “Make Good Trouble With Us.”
Instead, national Democrats opted for Chicago, buoyed by Illinois’ deep donor network, strong ties to powerful labor unions and financial assurances that helped ease concerns about convention costs.
For Atlanta’s political and business class, the stakes go beyond 2028 symbolism. A convention would bring thousands of delegates, tens of thousands of visitors, a surge of spending and days of wall-to-wall media coverage.
It would also answer a bigger strategic question: Where do Democrats believe the next chapter of their coalition will be written?
And once again, Atlanta wants to be the answer.
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