Milwaukee looks a lock to host the 2024 Republican National Convention after a GOP site selection panel recommended the city Friday.
The GOP panel’s choice will go through a final approval process during an August meeting of the full Republican National Committee in Chicago.
“Today, the Site Selection Committee voted to recommend Milwaukee to host the 2024 Republican National Convention and it is a testament to the forthright and professional behavior embraced by Milwaukee’s city leaders throughout the process. A final decision will be made by Chairwoman [Ronna] McDaniel and the full RNC in the coming weeks.” RNC senior adviser Richard Walters said in a statement.
Milwaukee beat out Nashville in Friday's selection vote. Nashville’s bid to host the convention hit a roadblock last Tuesday when two city council members pulled the draft agreement to host the convention from the council's agenda at the last minute.
In the lead-up to the panel's vote, Wisconsin news outlets including the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune and Marshfield News-Herald took to Twitter to lobby for Milwaukee, citing Politifact Wisconsin’s finding that “Milwaukee’s hotels and restaurants would benefit from RNC visitors, despite community concerns.”
The location choice is a significant one for the GOP, given Wisconsin’s reputation as a bellwether state. President Biden won Wisconsin by less than a percentage point in 2020. Incumbent Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, a Donald Trump ally and lightning rod for Democratic criticism, announced in January that he would run for a third term.
