The Republican National Committee has narrowed its location search for its 2024 convention to two cities.
RNC officials will decide between Nashville, Tennessee and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Salt Lake City Utah was eliminated as a possible host city.
Fox News reports Salt Lake City’s main arena is scheduled to be renovated during the summer of 2024 and there was no alternative, appropriately sized venue available.
Politico first reported Nashville and Milwaukee were the RNC’s remaining contenders for the 2024 party event. The outlet said sources noted that Salt Lake City would be reconsidered as a host city for the 2028 convention.
The RNC confirmed the report to The Hill on March 17.
"The RNC is very appreciative of the overwhelming interest and competitive bids from cities across the country, especially Salt Lake City and Pittsburgh, to host the 2024 Republican National Convention,” Richard Walters, an RNC senior adviser, said in a statement. “We look forward to entering the final stages of the selection process and delivering an incredible convention for our Party.”
The Democratic National Convention was held in Milwaukee in 2020. President Donald Trump won Wisconsin by 20,000 votes in 2016 and lost by approximately the same amount in 2020, notes TMJ4.
Brian Reisinger, the president of Madison-based Platform Communications, told the station the party could benefit by choosing the city as its host.
"Wisconsin is one of the tightest battleground states in the country, you could argue, depending upon the election, the most important state that you could win,” Reisinger said. “It's been a keystone in presidential elections. It's been crucial to winning or losing [the] senate.”
RNC committee members toured possible venues in Nashville in February.
Party officials toured Bridgestone Arena and Music City Center, reported WKRN. Each location can hold up to 50,000 people.
Trump won 60.7% of votes in Tennessee during the 2020 election. Davidson County, where Nashville is located, was one of three counties that supported President Joe Biden.
Trump also won Tennesee in 2016, with 61.1% of the votes.
According to Newsmax, “officials from both Nashville and Milwaukee will travel to Washington, D.C., next week to pitch to the site selection panel.”
The DNC began its search for 2024 convention sites in July of 2021 by inviting more the 20 cities to apply to host.
Neither the RNC nor the DNC has held their conventions in a non-battleground state since 2004.
