MILWAUKEE — According to our partners at the Milwaukee Business Journal, plans are underway for Milwaukee to submit a formal bid for the 2024 Republican National Convention.
A $420 million expansion of the Wisconsin Center is scheduled to open around the same time as the RNC is slated to take place.
If selected to host a national political convention, millions of dollars in economic impact could come to Milwaukee and SE Wisconsin.
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett gave "an enthusiastic yes" when the Democrats invited Milwaukee among other cities to submit bids for the convention.
The Mayor's spokesperson Jeff Fleming says Barrett sees a Republican convention as a money-maker for both Milwaukee itself and its businesses.
Requests for proposals from the RNC may have included Milwaukee because of its track record hosting large-scale events this year including the Milwaukee Bucks Championship and the Ryder Cup.
The DNC was held in Milwaukee in 2020, but was scaled back due to COVID-19.
Bids are due Dec. 1. Visit Milwaukee CEO Peggy Williams-Smith says her team at Visit Milwaukee have already started putting information together to complete the bid for the RNC.
She also says before the bid can be submitted, finding someone to lead a fundraising effort for a possible RNC bid is an issue that needs to be addressed before the proposal is submitted.
