MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee has submitted a bid to host the 2020 Democratic National Convention. The DNC search is now down to eight cities.
Milwaukee's bidding committee said the city meets all of the criteria to host. They believe the city's affordability and location, given it will take place in July, make Milwaukee a top candidate.
Milwaukee is the only remaining city in the Midwest vying to host the 2020 Democratic National Convention. It's now one step closer to being in the national political spotlight.
"We would love it. We love Milwaukee," Robert Sullivan said.
Sullivan lives in Chicago, yet he believes his neighboring city to the north would be the perfect fit.
"It's the right size city, it's not too big and it's close to other urban areas so people would be able to make it here," he added.
Alex Lasry, most well-known for his position in the Milwaukee Bucks' front office, is the leader behind Milwaukee's DNC push.
"A lot of it is just talking about the greatness that is Milwaukee and a lot of the assets that Milwaukee has that I think a lot of people might not know about," he explained.
Milwaukee is one of eight finalists among much bigger cities including San Francisco, Houston, Atlanta and New York.
"It's not about the size, what we think it's about is the amenities and what the city has to offer," Lasry said.
The economic impact would be substantial. Philadelphia's 2016 Democratic National Convention brought in an estimated $230 million. A smaller yet more similar size city of Cleveland welcomed 54,000 visitors at its 2016 Republican National Convention. Some worry Milwaukee doesn't have enough hotel space.
"We have plenty of hotel rooms for the convention," said Lasry. "They look for about 15,000 rooms in a 25-minute drive and we're able to reach that capacity as well."
The DNC hasn't selected site visits, but Lasry believes Milwaukee will get one this summer. The host city is expected to be announced in early 2019.
