Committee recommends Milwaukee as host for 2024 Republican National Convention

July 15, 2022 4:52 PM

Logan Reigstad,

Posted: July 15, 2022 4:52 PM

Updated: July 15, 2022 10:12 PM

by Logan Reigstad

MILWAUKEE — The 2024 Republican National Convention is one step closer to officially picking Milwaukee as its host city.

In a statement Friday evening, RNC senior advisor Richard Walters said the Site Selection Committee voted to recommend Milwaukee as the host for the event.

“… It is a testament to the forthright and professional behavior embraced by Milwaukee’s city leaders throughout the process,” he said. “A final decision will be made by Chairwoman McDaniel and the full RNC in the coming weeks.”

The news, first reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, comes a month after the city council approved an initiative upping its efforts to attract the convention. Milwaukee submitted its hosting bid in December.

Speaking to reporters Friday evening, Mayor Cavalier Johnson called the announcement “another step forward in our effort to bring a major political convention to the city of Milwaukee,” adding it’s an opportunity to cement the city’s status as a premier convention destination.

“To be clear: I don’t agree with everything in the Republicans’ platform. I disagree that the party’s political stance is a huge range of issues,” he said. “That being said, Republicans will host their convention somewhere in the United States in two years; I want the economic benefits, I want the convention, I want the visitors, I want the attention of the world to be right here on Milwaukee.”

Paul Farrow, the state chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Party and the Waukesha County Executive, said the move shows the national party recognizes the importance of Wisconsin in the 2024 election.

Milwaukee had been slated to host the 2020 Democratic National Convention, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was significantly scaled back and moved mostly online.