In private call, Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson pitches Biden on 2024 Chicago convention

CHICAGO — Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson this week pitched President Joe Biden on holding the Democratic National Convention here in 2024, a person close to Johnson told NBC News on Friday.

The topic came up in a private call Wednesday after Biden congratulated Johnson on winning the Chicago mayor's race in a contest that captured national attention.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday night.

The person close to Johnson said the mayor-elect also repeatedly discussed his intent on bringing the convention to the city in both calls and meetings with Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, countering concerns that interest in Chicago might be diminished amid the transition from outgoing Mayor Lori Lightfoot to Johnson.

“He brings a real excitement to the job ... to the people of Chicago and I think that’s being felt in Washington, D.C,” Pritzker said at a joint news conference with Johnson on Friday.

In a private meeting on Friday, Johnson and Pritzker “discussed ways we could work together to bring the Democratic National Convention in 2024,” a statement from Johnson’s team said.

• Add to Google

Johnson celebrates win in Chicago mayoral race

02:19

Johnson's conversations with Biden and Pritzker come as the sweepstakes to hold the convention have run into overtime. The finalists — Atlanta, Chicago and New York City — are awaiting the White House’s decision, which is ultimately up to Biden, on where to hold the quadrennial event.

Each city has made aggressive pitches to the Democratic National Committee. Midwest elected officials backed Chicago in a recent letter to the White House, and southern Democrats made a similar pitch on behalf of Atlanta. Labor leaders, meanwhile, argued for New York City.

But with Johnson's victory on Tuesday, even some New York-aligned advocates are saying he could boost Chicago's chances of landing the convention.

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, a Biden ally who is on record supporting New York’s bid for the convention, said Friday that Johnson’s win could be a game-changer.

“I do think that this changes the Chicago bid. You’ve just had this pro-teacher, pro-worker, pro-union person elected as mayor of Chicago," Weingarten, who backed Johnson in the race, told NBC News. "It sends a powerful message.”

Weingarten said that while she still supports New York, “you now have a very exciting moment in Chicago, where a multi- generational, multi-ethnic, multi-racial coalition has elected a new African American mayor who happens to be a school teacher and union member.”

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

Johnson won the race with a coalition of support that included progressives and an overwhelming backing from the city's African American community.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

The former teacher and Chicago Teachers Union organizer beat the better-funded candidate, former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas, who, along with outside groups, had outspent Johnson two-to-one on television ads.

Johnson brings to the table influential Biden allies such as former senior White House adviser Cedric Richmond, who now advises the DNC, and the powerful South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn – both of whom backed Johnson for mayor.

On Friday, Pritzker, who also personally talked to Biden about holding the convention in Chicago, made another Chicago pitch to reporters.

"The best convention that anyone could have would be here in the city of Chicago. We’ve worked hard to make sure we’re communicating that to all the folks at the DNC as well as the White House," the governor said. "I think we’ve done that and we’ve been successful in getting our points across."

Lightfoot had been feverishly working with Pritzker to convince the DNC to pick Chicago for 2024.

Pritzker on Friday held up Illinois as a bastion of Democratic values, unlike some states that are home to a convention finalist, a not-so-veiled reference to Atlanta.

"In the competitive back and forth with all the cities, Chicago demonstrates that … it’s in a state that’s pro-choice that has stood up for labor rights and for workers – that we’re a state that is opposed to assault weapons and that’s not true of some of the competitor states," he said.