ATLANTA — Atlanta’s mayor confirms exclusively to Channel 2 Action News that the city is one of five finalists to host the 2028 Democratic National Convention.
Boston, Chicago, Denver, and Philadelphia are also on the short list, fighting to host the 2028 convention.
This time, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens insists this city is the winning city, even as it gets ready for the FIFA World Cup.
“This year, the DNC is here right now, kind of looking at Atlanta, kicking the tires to see if we can become the next host city for the Democratic National Convention. And we’re vying for it,” Dickens told Channel 2’s Richard Elliot on Tuesday.
This isn’t the first time. Only Channel 2 Action News was there four years ago as Dickens led a busload of Democratic Party scouts into State Farm Arena to check out its facilities.
Atlanta made the top two but lost to Chicago.
But so much around State Farm Arena has changed since then -- much of it in preparation for the FIFA World Cup.
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“We beefed up, and we have even more infrastructure now with Centennial Yards, the former gulch, and just so much more that they can use as space. We got the better weather, too. Oh, we got the weather than all of those places, so it’s going to be fantastic,” Dickens said.
Even Georgia Republicans are rooting for Atlanta -- kind of.
“We welcome the DNC scout team to Georgia. Georgians are proud of our world-class venues and vibrant economy,” the Georgia GOP said in a statement. “(Republicans) turned Georgia into a national economic powerhouse.”
Still, Dickens believes choosing Atlanta as its convention city could mean victory down the road.
“The Democratic Party needs to invest in the South, with the only Southern city out of the top five cities that made it to the finals. And we’re a swing state of Georgia. So, if they make an investment here, then good things can happen in the election season,” Dickens said.
We are expecting an official news conference to talk about Atlanta as a possible host city by Thursday afternoon.
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