WASHINGTON — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on Thursday hold their first joint fundraiser for the Chicago Host Committee, which promised to raise at least $84.7 million for the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
The luncheon will be at the United Center. That arena and the McCormick Place complex are the main venues for the convention, scheduled for Aug. 19-24. The fundraising pledge was part of the city’s winning bid to land the convention, beating out Atlanta and New York.
Besides Pritzker and Johnson, expected speakers at the luncheon will include Michael Reinsdorf and Daniel Wirtz, who represent the owners of the United Center, where President Joe Biden is expected to be nominated for a second term.
Meanwhile, the host committee and the 2024 Democratic National Convention Committee have opened a shared office in the West Loop as activity to plan the convention ramps up.
On Wednesday, the Chicago-based host committee and the DNCC — an offshoot of the Democratic National Committee — announced the first step it is taking to hire someone to oversee construction and event contracting for the convention. Every day of the convention, dozens of events will take place at McCormick Place and at other locations around the city, before delegates head to the United Center each evening.
The first step is posting a request for proposals for the job on the host committee website, www.chicago2024.com. That website includes a section where people can register to volunteer.
“This RFP will be the first of many to come that will help lift up local businesses across Chicago and Illinois,” said Host Committee Executive Director Christy George in a statement.
“We’re excited to be taking this first step in our outreach to local businesses,” said DNCC Executive Director Alex Hornbrook in a statement.
According to Federal Election Commission records, the DNCC spent $516,861 on convention-related expenses from Jan. 1 through Aug. 31, most of that on legal costs and consultants who are handling convention production and housing management for the thousands of people expected to attend.
