One day after Milwaukee was picked to host the 2020 Democratic National Convention, it's already down to work.
The top two priorities out of the gate are finding 12,000 volunteers and about $70 million. The committee says it already has a good start on both.
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DNC Chair Tom Perez said Monday that one of the biggest reasons Milwaukee won the bid is because it raised far more money than its competitors.
Milwaukee Bucks Executive Alex Lasry led the efforts to raise $11 million thanks to corporate help in Milwaukee. Now the city needs another $60 million to put on the event.
"It's used for convention operations. You're looking at production, transportation, staff and some housing," Lasry said.
Money isn't the city's only obstacle. About 12,000 volunteers are needed to help run the four-day event.
"Look, 12,000 is a lot of volunteers, but I think what keeps us optimistic is after one day of an announcement, 1,400 people have said that they want to be a part of it," Lasry said.
By Tuesday afternoon, 1,417 people had already committed to being the boots on the ground.
"They'll be making sure everyone knows where to go, how to get there and really just having a real deep knowledge base of the entire operation, where everything is," Lasry said.
One of those volunteers is Jody Alexander of Milwaukee.
"It doesn't really matter what needs to be done," Alexander said. "I'm willing to go door-to-door, hand out pencils, pens, bring water."
Alexander isn't afraid to share why she wants to volunteer.
"Look, 12,000 is a lot of volunteers, but I think what keeps us optimistic is after one day of an announcement, 1,400 people have said that they want to be a part of it." — Bucks Executive Alex Lasry
"I want to turn our state blue again," she said.
Alexander knows to make a real difference she has to get involved.
"Sometimes you need volunteers to make things happen," she said.
If you would like to volunteer, click here.
