A panel for the Republican National Committee (RNC) voted on Friday to select Milwaukee to host the 2024 Republican National Convention, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
The full committee must vote to choose the city as the host at its summer meeting in Chicago during the first week in August. The committee could still choose the other finalist, Nashville, Tenn.
“Today, the Site Selection Committee voted to recommend Milwaukee to host the 2024 Republican National Convention and it is a testament to the forthright and professional behavior embraced by Milwaukee’s city leaders throughout the process,” RNC Senior Adviser Richard Walters told the Journal Sentinel.
A source familiar with the process said Milwaukee’s leadership and business community have put the good of the city before politics and welcomed the RNC “since day one.”
Nashville’s bid to host the RNC in 2024 became uncertain after a city councilman withdrew a resolution last week that would have outlined the details of hosting the convention, the Nashville Post reported.
Multiple council members said they would not support the bid after the Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe v. Wade.
The RNC is expected to make a final decision on the dates of its convention by the end of this year, according to the Journal Sentinel.
If Milwaukee is confirmed as the host city, it would be the first to host back-to-back national conventions since New York City hosted the Democratic National Convention in 1976 and 1980. Democrats held their convention in Milwaukee in 2020 in addition to virtual sites throughout the country.
Wisconsin has been a key swing state in recent presidential elections and was crucial to President Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election. Republicans will likely attempt to flip the state red, as it did for former President Trump in 2016.