Milwaukee Will Host GOP Presidential Debate In Lead Up To RNC

Preparation work for the 2024 Republican National Convention is fully underway. But it was revealed Thursday that the Republican presidential candidates are likely to visit the city before July 2024.

“A lot of the front-end work is on our end,” said host committee Reince Priebus, of fundraising, contracts for facilities and other coordination, during a press conference Thursday afternoon at 3rd Street Market Hall.

National Republican Party chair Ronna McDaniel made her first visit to the city since being re-elected last week to a new two-year term as the party chair.

“I am so excited to be back in Wisconsin,” said McDaniel. “This is the perfect place for us to highlight our nominee for the 2024 presidential campaign. It is also the perfect place to provide the best delegate experience.”

McDaniel said she expects the city to host a primary debate for the GOP’s presidential nomination. Cleveland, which hosted the 2016 RNC, hosted a debate in August 2015 that kicked off the GOP debate cycle.

“I am planning on having a very smooth, lovely, presidential nomination process where we all come together in the end,” said the party chair. Former President Donald Trump is running, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is expected to run and, next week, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is expected to announce her bid.

Milwaukee last held a GOP presidential debate in 2016.

Mayor Cavalier Johnson said he’s ready for Milwaukee’s time in the spotlight.

“[The chair and I] have a few political differences, but we are however united in that we have a desire to make sure that Milwaukee shines in the summer of 2024,” said Johnson. “Milwaukee will be ready.”

Priebus and convention CEO Stephen B. King, Sr. declined to say how much of the host committee funding had been raised. The committee is expected to need to raise up to $75 million.

“I can’t disclose to you how much we’ve raised. It’s been a lot and far ahead of schedule,” said the host committee chair. “I can assure you it’s a good story… We’re not going to limp into the finish line on money.”

The host committee is also working with Chicago firm onPeak to have all of the delegates housed within 60 miles of the city. “I am not sure exactly where they are, but they’ve made good progress,” said King. The firm is responsible for contracting with each of the hundreds of hotels, and King said it could ultimately take the party negotiating with television networks and other entities that might have holds on large room blocks.

Priebus, a former national party chair and chief of staff to Trump, said the committee wants to ensure the benefits of the convention are spread out.

“We are going to try to map this out so every part of this city is taking in this economic boon that this convention has to offer. It’s not just going to be right here downtown,” said Priebus. “We want to make you all proud, Republican, Democratic, independent, hate politics, love politics, we want you to be proud of what you’ve put together here in the city of Milwaukee.”

“You really do have a city that shines,” said McDaniel.  She’ll have a chance to see it lit up tonight. An event is planned to take place at the top of Northwestern Mutual‘s tower.

“Milwaukee is ready to welcome big conventions and big events to our city. The 2024 Republican convention sends a message to convention planners all across the United States that Milwaukee must be on their radar,” said Johnson. “I see more jobs, I see more commerce and I see a boost to our economy as additional conventions come here in the years to come.”

But the mayor will need a state-enabled change in the city’s tax structure to take advantage of any influx of visitors. The city also faces a fiscal cliff because of rising pension costs, declining state aid and limits on what it can collect in property tax revenue.

“I was in the Capitol four or five times over the course of the month of January speaking with members of the Legislature, particularly on the Republican side, about the dire financial needs Milwaukee has, that quite frankly other communities across Wisconsin have,” said the mayor. “I am optimistic that we will be able to get something done here.”

Suggesting a sales tax, Johnson said he thought Milwaukee could soon be in a position for the first time in several decades to capture the purchasing power of visitors.

“We are also working on the state shared revenue issue as well, that all of us know has been kind of flat and declining in Milwaukee. I think, in a bi-partisan sense, there is an understanding that that needs to change,” said the mayor.

A federal grant will cover the security costs of the event.

Fire Chief Aaron Lipski presented a proposal Wednesday to the Finance & Personnel Committee to create two new battalion chief positions, paid for by the grant, to handle much of the additional administrative work. He said their role would be more than full-time given the scheduling demands of the Secret Service and other federal entities. Given the city’s experience in preparing for the 2020 Democratic convention, Lipski said the title bump was about getting other officials to take the individuals that will hold the jobs seriously.

UPDATE: An earlier version of this article called the NM tower event a fundraiser. We’ve updated the language to call it an “event.”