From world-class entertainment venues and restaurants to a public transportation system that never sleeps, Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Kathy Hochel Thursday kicked off a multi-day tour of the city with the Democratic National Committee (DNC) delegation in hopes of landing the DNC’s 2024 presidential nominating convention.
The mayor first announced the city’s bid to host the convention in late May, when he proposed Madison Square Garden as the primary venue and the Jacob Javits Center as a secondary event space. The city last hosted the Democratic National Convention in 1992, when former President Bill Clinton was anointed as the Democratic nominee.
“We’re going to show everything from our great venues, our restaurants, our amazing infrastructure and transportation – the ability to move around a large number of people,” said Adams, kicking off the tour at the Javits Center. “The best police force on the globe. Many of the dollars that are used to make this happen is right here in New York City. And this is our opportunity to show why in 2024 there’s no other place to be then NYC.”
DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said it is always great to be in New York, the city that never sleeps, making it a good fit for a convention filled with delegates and chairs that get little sleep in the four-day build-up to nominating their party’s candidate for president.
“I’m honored to be joined today by many of our officers of the DNC who are here with me, and our technical team as well. This is a team of folks who have done so many conventions, they’ve forgotten more about conventions than I’ve ever known. What we do during these visits is we look under the hood. We kick the tires to try to make sure that we are picking the best city that represents the values of the Democratic Party,” Harrison said.
Hochul noted the symbolism of making the Big Apple the choice to host the convention.
“The symbolism of the National Democratic Committee selecting New York City for their 2024 location will be a symbol of a rebirth of not just a community, but of the Democratic Party, and remind people that the values of our party, the Democratic Party, are uniquely American values,” said Hochul.
“We value our diversity. We welcome people from all over the world. The Statue of Liberty is that symbol that is recognized by others seeking freedom from oppression. And today, that same symbol allows us to talk about coming here, women particularly, who are being oppressed and denied their rights in other states to have a [magmatical] procedure known as an abortion,” she added.
Adams said hosting the DNC will provide a boost to the city’s economy, filling thousands of hotel rooms and bringing in thousands of visitors who will spend money at local businesses.
“Those who are going to attend the convention, they’re going to come out to our restaurants,” Adams said. “They’re going to come out to our Broadway shows. Their spouses are going to say ‘you know, while you’re doing your political stuff, I’m going to go shop on Fifth Avenue.’ This is a real money generator for us.”
When asked about concerns for convention delegates coming to a city with a rising crime rate, Adams noted that he met the day before with mayors across the country, and both Atlanta and Houston are also dealing with rising crime.
“All the cities that are being considered are dealing with similar issues that we are dealing with here in New York,” Adams said.
Harrison said the DNC is only considering cities for its 2024 convention that it’s confident will make sure the event is as safe and secure as possible.
“We got a mayor who served in the police department, who’s the mayor of the city of New York,” Harrison said. “We have a governor who is tough on crime. So, you know, all of these cities that we are visiting right now, I feel very confident that our visitors will be safe. That they’re going to do everything that they can. And these mayors and these governors are working very hard to address those issues each and every day. So that’s not a worry for us because we know that these are going to be some of the most secure events around the country.”
