The Republican National Committee on Friday announced the host city for its 2024 national convention at which the next GOP candidates for president and vice president will be formally nominated and kick off the final stretch of their campaign to retake the White House.
After narrowing down the list of potential locations for a convention that looks more normal than 2020's unorthodox COVID-protocol conventions, the final two contenders were Nashville and Milwaukee.
In the end, Milwaukee won out — in no small part because Nashville's Metro Council voted down the agreement for Music City to host the GOP nominating convention.
RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel shared the news on Twitter:
I am excited to announce that the RNC has voted unanimously to select Milwaukee as the host city for the 2024 Republican National Convention!
— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) August 5, 2022
Milwaukee is a world-class city, and we are eager to see it shine in the spotlight come 2024.
I look forward to working with the members of the Republican National Committee, @MayorOfMKE Cavalier Johnson, the Milwaukee Host Committee, and @visitmilwaukee to deliver an incredible convention for our Party and nominate the next President of the United States!
— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) August 5, 2022
McDaniel also said of the choice that Wisconsin "is a purple state," and a battleground for 2024. "It is exactly the voters that we are trying to bring into our party," she added, saying "we're excited to showcase a wonderful city and a wonderful state."
Former Wisconsin Governor and current President of Young America's Foundation Scott Walker celebrated his home state's selection for the 2024 GOP convention, calling it "great news for Milwaukee and for Wisconsin" and "great news for Republicans as we can carry Wisconsin again in 2024."
In 2020, Democrats had selected Milwaukee to hold their nominating convention, but COVID forced an initial delay, then most activities were scaled down, and much of the convention broadcast originated from elsewhere across the country. For 2024, Democrats still have not selected a host city for their convention at which President Biden — or whoever they run — will be nominated.
In a bit of added political drama, Milwaukee was, at least for a time, under consideration by Democrats for their 2024 national convention as a "consolation" for the normal influx of business and attention that was lost when 2020's convention was scaled down due to COVID. But now the RNC has beaten them to it — for now.
There have been six years in which both major party nominating conventions were held in the same city, but the last time that happened was 1972 when Miami Beach hosted both the RNC and DNC. Chicago hosted both in 1184, 1932, 1944, and 1952 while Philadelphia saw both parties' conventions in 1948.
Republicans had selected Charlotte, North Carolina, as the site of their 2020 convention, but COVID also derailed those plans. Ultimately, most of the convention speeches were broadcast from an auditorium in Washington, D.C., with the final night hosted on the south lawn of the White House. Before that, the 2016 GOP nominating convention was held in Cleveland, Ohio.