Bring The DNC To NYC, Mayor Adams Begs Democrats

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN — Mayor Eric Adams and several of the city's top elected officials came together atop a Midtown skyscraper on Thursday with a plea to the Democratic Party: to put the 2024 Democratic National Convention in New York.

Adams, launching the city's bid for the multi-day nominating event, said the city would propose Madison Square Garden as its primary event site, with the Jacob K. Javits Center hosting other components a few blocks west.

"This is the most diverse city in America, and one that reflects the face of not only the democratic party, but the entire nation," Adams said in a statement.

"There is no better place for the DNC to host their convention than New York City, which is why we are proud to submit our bid today for the 2024 convention."

Making a bid for a party convention is hardly a new idea for a New York City mayor — in fact, every mayor dating back to Rudy Giuliani in 1994 has asked either Democrats or Republicans to host their convention in New York, reporter Jeff Coltin of City & State pointed out.

Only Bloomberg was successful, landing the 2004 GOP convention. New York last hosted the Democratic convention in 1992, when Bill Clinton was nominated for the first time.

Mayor Adams launched the bid Thursday at SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, the glassy observation deck in the new skyscraper near Grand Central Terminal, standing alongside officials including Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and U.S. Reps. Adriano Espaillat, Jerry Nadler and Carolyn Maloney — the latter two of whom are locked in a primary election battle.

Officials say the convention would serve as an economic boon that would help the city's pandemic recovery, especially in hard-hit midtown. Philadelphia, which hosted the 2016 DNC, said it brought in 54,000 visitors and $230.9 million — a disputed figure that fell well short of the city's projections.

The city has secured commitments from 86 hotels to provide around 14,500 hotel rooms to visiting party leaders, according to Adams's administration. Meanwhile, visitors would get to enjoy the city's wealth of cultural institutions, restaurants and bars — plus be in close proximity to major media networks' headquarters, the city says.

More than 40 leaders in government, hospitality, business, cultural institutions and labor have signed onto letters supporting New York City's bid, including Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, the Broadway League and the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union, according to Adams's office.