ATLANTA — Atlanta is officially out of the running to host the 2028 Democratic National Convention, prompting a sharp response from Mayor Andre Dickens.
DNC leaders selected Boston, Denver and Philadelphia as finalists, eliminating Atlanta and Chicago from consideration. The party has not said why the two cities were removed from the shortlist.
In a letter obtained by WSB, Dickens criticized the decision and said Atlanta’s ability to host major events could not have been the reason the city was eliminated.
Dickens wrote:
To Atlanta, the South, and all Democrats:
The DNC continues to make the wrong choices. This decision could not have been based on Atlanta’s ability to host major events. Not on the heels of being ranked the best city to host the World Cup. Not when State Farm Arena is one the busiest and most successful arenas in the country. For the DNC to not even include Atlanta in the shortlist means that the DNC does not consider Atlanta or Georgia relevant to the past, present, or future of the Democratic Party. It seems that Ken Martin doesn’t even believe himself when he said that the road to the White House runs through the South. Yet again, the DNC and Chairman Ken Martin have shown that they are unwilling to do the bare minimum to support the base of the party. Atlanta is the crown jewel of the Southeast, the Black economic engine of the country, and the cradle of the civil rights movement.
They are afraid to leave their comfort zone and blind to the fact that the South is the answer. They are abandoning Atlanta, abandoning the South, and once again abandoning Black voters.
Atlanta has not hosted a convention in nearly 40 years. One party has chosen the South to host their convention, and the other has chosen the same region over and over again. This isn’t by accident. It’s an intentional choice.
At a time when Trump and the Supreme Court are minimizing Black electoral power we need a party that would come to Atlanta and galvanize the Southeast for 2028 and beyond. Real leaders produce for the present and the future.
With so much evidence to the contrary, this was an opportunity for Ken Martin and the DNC leadership to show they have a thoughtful plan for the party and know how to win the White House in 2028. But
instead they are running scared and retreat to their safe spaces.
I’m ready for Democratic leadership that understands what every Democratic voter already knows: that this is a moment that demands we run toward battles and into the fight.
Sincerely,
Mayor Andre Dickens City of Atlanta
Georgia Chamber President Chris Clark also expressed disappointment over Atlanta being passed over.
“Its disappointing that they’ve passed Georgia over again, so we’ll just have to double down and work to recruit replacements for that time slot,” Clark said.
A final decision on which city will host the 2028 Democratic National Convention is expected later this year.
