As the Democratic Party narrows down the list of potential cities to host its 2028 national convention, the leader of one of the cities not chosen is speaking out. The Mayor of Atlanta is putting party leaders on blast for ignoring the South and ignoring the importance of Black voters to the party.
In a letter obtained by WABE, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens called out the Democratic National Committee and its chair, Ken Martin, after Boston, Denver and Philadelphia were announced as the three cities still being considered to host the 2028 Democratic National Convention. In a letter addressed "To Atlanta, the South, and all Democrats," Dickens says that "the DNC continues to make the wrong choices." Dickens called out the party for passing over Atlanta despite the accolades given to the city and its capacity to host major events such as the convention. Dickens said that passing over Atlanta and the entire South contradicts Martin's own words about the importance of making inroads in the South in order to recapture the presidency. "The DNC and Chairman Ken Martin have shown that they are unwilling to do the bare minimum to support the base of the party," Dickens said. Martin and the DNC "are abandoning Atlanta, abandoning the South, and once again abandoning Black voters," even as the Republican Party "has chosen the South to host their convention." This continued abandonment is especially problematic now, Dickens argued. "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."
Dickens' criticisms came shortly after Martin announced the three finalist cities, all of which had put forth "incredibly strong bids," according to Martin's statement. These words came after DNC delegates visited the three cities as well as Atlanta and Chicago. Martin's statement, which pledged that the 2028 convention would be an "inspiring celebration of our party's future nominee," did not indicate why Atlanta and Chicago had been eliminated from consideration. Four of the five cities that were under consideration have hosted recent iterations of the Democratic National Convention: Boston in 2004, Denver in 2008, Philadelphia in 2016 and Chicago in 2024. Atlanta last hosted the convention in 1988, when Michael Dukakis won the Democratic presidential nomination; runner-up Jesse Jackson delivered his famous "keep hope alive" speech at the 1988 convention. As mentioned in Dickens' letter, the decision by the DNC to exclude the South from consideration contrasts with the Republican Party's choice of Houston to host the 2028 Republican National Convention.
The list of complaints against Martin's leadership has grown with Mayor Dickens' criticism over the DNC's decision to pass on Atlanta, which Dickens views as a larger snub of southern and Black voters. As Democrats hope to retake Congress and the White House, party leaders will need to mobilize and motivate its key bases, and southern Black voters remain key to those efforts.
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