Milwaukee 2024 Host Committee Chair Reince Priebus is praising the bipartisan cooperation required to pull off next year’s Republican National Convention.
Speaking Tuesday during a meeting of the Milwaukee Rotary Club, he said attendees “should feel really great about” the Democratic city opening its arms to those with opposing viewpoints. He noted the Milwaukee Common Council voted unanimously to approve hosting next year’s gathering, and also touted the work of Dem Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and other local leaders in securing the convention.
Priebus previously served as chair of the Wisconsin Republican Party and the Republican National Committee, as well as White House chief of staff under President Donald Trump.
“I think it brings an extra bonus that in tough political environments, that we have an opportunity in Wisconsin … to show the world that Republicans and Democrats can work together for good,” he said.
The 2024 Republican National Convention will be held July 15-18, 2024 at the Fiserv Forum in Wisconsin’s largest city. Delegates from the party will gather to choose the GOP nominees for president and vice president to run in next year’s election.
But while the convention officially runs for just three days, Priebus told Rotary Club members they could expect to see increased visitor activity for at least two weeks as groups come into town early for member events and other gatherings.
Organizers for the convention predict Milwaukee will see a $200 million impact from the event itself, along with an elevated national profile as people from across the country tune in. Visit Milwaukee expects 45,000 attendees on peak convention days, with about a third of that number being delegates.
“Every hotel room will be booked from Madison to Kohler down to Kenosha,” Priebus said. “The buses, the logistics, the parking garages — when you plan a convention like this, it takes all of that to keep it all together. And to come in unified, Republicans and Democrats, is something that is very unique.”
He said the host committee’s fundraising efforts are proceeding “completely on target,” as coordination with law enforcement and other partners continues. Priebus also touted a small business portal that Wisconsin companies can use to be first in line for contract bids related to the convention.
“We’ve made a commitment to doing everything we can to make sure the businesses are here and they stay here in the state of Wisconsin, wherever possible,” he said. “Whether it be a print shop, a flower shop, a subcontractor for some work that needs to be done, there’s going to be an enormous opportunity.”
Watch a video of the meeting at WisconsinEye.
See the committee’s site for vendors here.
