Dem
51
GOP
49
Republicans are rarin' to go. Now they have a place and date for their 2024 nominating convention. All that is left is the candidate (see above). The convention will be held Monday July 15, 2024, through Thursday July 18, 2024, at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, WI. This information is needed for the expected 45,000 folks, including delegates, alternate delegates, Republican politicians, donors, reporters from all over the world, media crews, TV anchors, spinmasters, photographers, bloggers, technical personnel, public safety teams, medical personnel, prostitutes, alternate prostitutes, and more. Protesters are probably not included in the count, but you betcha that more than a couple will show up. They all need to block off these days on their calendars now. Local hotels and restaurants will also be noting that starting July 1, 2024, or thereabouts, it will be time to triple their prices or more.
There isn't a lot of evidence that having a convention in some state wins a lot of votes in that state. Nevertheless, the received wisdom is that it does, and few states swing more than Wisconsin. If Wisconsin voters think that the Republicans love them, it can't hurt. The runner-up was Nashville, in deep red Tennessee. From a political standpoint, that makes little sense. However, the final decision is not entirely based on politics. Logistics are also key, including the number, quality, and location of hotel rooms. Not every city has 45,000 hotel rooms within an hour of the convention venue, for example. Also, the chosen city needs an airport with many scheduled flights from all regions of the country to get those 45,000 people to the venue. And of course, the chosen city has to want (and bid for) the convention. Early on, some possible (even desirable) cities refused to bid because they didn't want the convention.
Milwaukee does have a couple of downsides, though. Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson is Black and a Democrat. Gov. Tony Evers (D-WI) is white and also a Democrat. Nevertheless, neither one is going to try to sabotage the convention. If the logistics come off smoothly, other organizations are going to see that Milwaukee can pull off big events and that will increase Milwaukee's future convention business, which the mayor, the governor, and the local business community would very much like.
A side issue here is that the Republicans control both chambers of the state legislature. Both Johnson and Evers know that a smoothly run convention that showcases the Republican ticket well will generate some good will among the legislators. That good will could come in handy after the convention. (V)