Atlanta among final two cities to host 2024 DNC

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Then there were two.

On Wednesday, the shortlist of cities poised to host the 2024 Democratic National Convention got even shorter, said Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens.

Atlanta had been on a list alongside Chicago and New York City as possibilities, but Dickens said the list was pared down to include Atlanta and only one of the other locations, though it was unclear which.

“I’m pretty confident, I know we’re in the top two,” said Dickens, “and I’m hoping by the end of this week or next week we’ll be in the final.”

Dickens spoke only to Atlanta News First on Wednesday, saying his team has been in direct communication with the White House.

“My team has been working hard, laying out the case to the president and his team about why Atlanta would really appreciate this investment,” he said. “This is an economic boon for the city, but it also really stretches the presidential map south.”

The DNC – the Democratic party’s nominating convention – hasn’t been hosted by Atlanta since 1988. It would represent the region and the state of Georgia’s growing influence over national politics. Georgia all but handed President Joe Biden his electoral victory in 2020, and allowed Democrats to keep control of the Senate in 2022 after Senator Raphael Warnock’s nail-biting runoff victory.

The event would also bring an estimated 5,000 delegates to the city in addition to some 50,000 attendees.

City officials took steps this week to jumpstart the process of preparing, even before an announcement is made. On Monday, the Atlanta City Council approved a resolution sponsored by council member Marci Collier Overstreet that would fast-track the city’s ability to collect excess hotel and motel tax revenues and conduct any other negotiations and arrangements should the city be chosen.

“The city is the cradle of the Civil Rights movement with a long, storied history of leadership in political discourse,” said Overstreet, before introducing the resolution.