GOP Weighs Convention Choices of Nashville or Milwaukee – NBC Chicago

In Milwaukee, one of two cities vying to host the Republican presidential convention in 2024, Democrats were pilloried by the potential visitors after predawn election results delivered Wisconsin for Joe Biden in the 2020 White House race. Rival Nashville, Tennessee, is run by a mayor whose Democratic brother was effectively redistricted out of his congressional seat by Republicans.

It’s safe to say those two Democratic strongholds have mixed feelings about landing the GOP convention. Hosting the once-every-four-year assembly is an immediate spending jolt, plus a few days of invaluable national exposure. But it also means rolling out a welcome mat for bitter political foes.

“Some people don’t want to see this happening,” said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, a Democrat. “Some people are holding their nose about bringing this to Wisconsin. But when you set politics aside, this is how we’re going to jumpstart our economic activity in southeastern Wisconsin.”

The cities made their final pitches to the Republican National Committee in Washington last week and a final decision is expected soon. It may rest on whether Republicans see more value in the honky-tonk-infused branding that Nashville offers as a way to connect with the white working-class voters likely to be at the center of the 2024 general election — or the chance to stake a claim to Wisconsin, a perennial presidential swing state that has its fair share of those voters in play.

Wisconsin could determine who wins in 2024, while Tennessee has not backed a Democrat for president since 1996. In the convention contest, history would seem to favor Milwaukee. For two decades, Republicans have placed their nominating convention in swing states — North Carolina, Ohio and Florida.

Former President Donald Trump beat Biden by 23 percentage points in Tennessee, while Biden won Nashville by 32 points. But state GOP Chairman Scott Golden said choosing Nashville would let Republicans highlight a GOP state that has continued to grow even through the pandemic, while attributing successes to business-friendly state tax policies, including no personal income tax.

Backers also argue that Music City is a more enticing getaway for attendees. The arena and convention center are a block away downtown. The Country Music Hall of Fame is across the street. The arena dumps attendees onto the famed neon-lit strip of bars, with live music at almost all hours. Hot chicken and biscuits are never far away.

New hotels are changing the skyline in and around downtown. Golden said convention-goers could be more concentrated in the city core, minimizing the long bus rides and distant lodging of previous conventions and dialing up the branding opportunity.

“This is really a very good narrative of America,” Golden said. “Obviously, it doesn’t hurt that the country music world is also centered there.”

Wisconsin counters that the 2024 gathering, just like the past three Republican conventions, should be in a crucial swing state. Boosters are playing up the opportunity, with Democrats like Crowley joining Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson and Reince Priebus…