By Bernadette Hogan and Sam Raskin
New York City is vying to host the Democratic National Convention for a sixth time, officials announced Thursday, in what would be a much-needed post-pandemic economic boon.
If the Big Apple is chosen for the 2024 DNC, Madison Square Garden would be the main site for the event, and the nearby newly expanded Javits Center would host additional gatherings, the mayor’s office said.
The bid to host the summer 2024 affair was being formally submitted Thursday ahead of the Friday deadline, City Hall said.
“This is a Team New York moment,” said Mayor Eric Adams during a press conference in the brand-new, 77-story One Vanderbilt.
“This is not about Democrat or Republican; it’s about how we bring resources to our city. It’s going to impact all five boroughs,” he added, noting the presence of Republican Councilman Joe Borelli at the news conference. “We’re recovering, we’re moving in the right direction. … We are on the right path, New York.”
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The mayor’s office says that over 45,000 hotel rooms are located within a one-mile radius of the pair of convention sites, and that City Hall has made agreements with 86 hotels to set aside 14,500 hotel rooms for delegates and other convention visitors.
A successful bid could bring a boon of economic activity to the five boroughs, where more than 30,000 people would travel for the event, said city Economic Development Corporation head Andrew Kimball, citing DNC projections.
“Not only will the convention have a great impact on our economy, especially for small businesses in a commercial corridor most hard hit by the pandemic, but it will also showcase on the national and international stage that New York City is back,” he said.
The Democratic Party’ presidential candidate nomination ceremony was most recently held in New York City in 1992, when. then-Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton announced Tennessee Sen. Al Gore as his running mate. Previously, the Big Apple hosted the event in 1868, 1924, 1976 and 1980.
“It’s been 30 years since the DNC was in New York City, and I think it’s about time that they came back,” said Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Upper East Side).
“As we look forward to the 2024 Presidential election, New York City will be the ideal springboard to take the Democratic Party into the next era,” said Rep. Jerry Nadler (D- Upper West Side), who is running against Maloney in the Democratic primary for the redrawn Manhattan district.
Adams’ chief of staff Frank Carone — who along with Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer is leading the effort, according to Politico New York — declared, “We’re here today to remind [Democrats] that there is no city … that your delegates will enjoy being in more.”
The last time the Big Apple was home to a major party convention was 2004, when the GOP convention was held in Madison Square Garden after Mayor Michael Bloomberg unsuccessfully attempted to get both Democrats and Republicans to bring their delegates to the iconic Manhattan arena.
Bloomberg said at the time that the 2004 Republican National Convention produced $255 million in “net new economic activity.” Hosting the event also came with days of massive protests that prompted more than 1,000 arrests.
In 2014, the city agreed to pay $18 million to settle dozens of lawsuits filed by protesters, journalists and bystanders who alleged they were wrongfully detained amid the demonstrations.
Also in 2014, former Mayor Bill de Blasio appealed to the DNC to bring the 2016 convention to Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, but the DNC chose Philadelphia.
The 2020 convention was held at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but was a scaled-back, mostly online affair because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
https://nypost.com/2022/05/26/nyc-making-bid-to-host-2024-democratic-national-convention/