Philadelphia is a finalist to host the next Democratic National Convention (DNC), and officials from the city are eager to bring the DNC back to the Keystone State.
The Democratic National Convention, like its counterpart Republican National Convention, is a four-day event where the Democratic Party formally nominates its candidate for President of the United States. Over the course of the event, nearly every prominent Democrat makes an appearance, and tens of thousands of people flock to the host city to attend. The majority of these attendees are members of the media.
By every definition of the word, a party’s national convention is a spectacle. For the four days of a convention, the party and the host city have the full focus of the national media. The convention would put Pennsylvania’s biggest city back into the national spotlight, and, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, city officials are excited for this possibility.
City and state officials also speak excitedly about the economic benefits of hosting a convention. Philadelphia last hosted a national convention in 2016, when Democrats nominated Hillary Clinton for President. Philadelphia’s official tourism agency estimated that the 2016 DNC contributed $230.9 million dollars to the local economy. Economists writing in the “Papers in Regional Science” journal, however, said that this figure was an overestimation of the true benefit.
Still, state Democrats like Gov. Josh Shapiro and Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker are pressing the Democratic National Committee to choose Pennsylvania. Parker has established a host committee called Pick Pennsylvania to woo officials from the national Democratic party, who will come tour Philadelphia in the spring to judge whether the city has enough capabilities to host the event.
A member of this committee is Dan Hilferty, the CEO of Comcast Spectacor. Hilferty also owns Xfinity Mobile Arena, formerly the Wells Fargo Center, where the convention would be held. “There is no city more excited, more invested, and more prepared than Philadelphia to host the 2028 Democratic National Convention,” Hilferty said in a statement.
Hilferty’s committee will have several factors running in their favor when DNC officials come to tour the city. Philadelphia has expanded its supply of hotel rooms for convention visitors. In addition, the city has invested millions of dollars into safety, public transportation and public amenities in preparation of hosting numerous large events this year for America’s 250th anniversary. Finally, the chairman of the host committee, David L. Cohen, has promised to raise tens of millions of dollars to fund the event.
While Parker is attempting to get leaders from across Pennsylvania to announce their support for the convention, Cohen and Hilferty are working with the Philadelphia Police Department, the transit agency SEPTA, and the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council to ensure the city will have all the logistical, operational and safety structures in place to prove to the DNC officials that Philadelphia has what it takes to host a successful event. They will also attempt to charm the officials by demonstrating a rich and vibrant culture in the City of Brotherly Love, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
There are four other cities in the running to host the 2028 DNC. Philadelphia will be competing with Atlanta, Boston, Chicago and Denver to be the selected city. The 2028 Republican National Convention will be held in Houston.
Cohen, a close ally of Parker, noted recently how this convention bid goes further than Philadelphia. Parker, Cohen said, “wanted it to be really clear that this is more than a Philadelphia bid.”
“This,” Cohen continued, “is a unified Pennsylvania bid.”
