Mayor Andre Dickens: Alright well good afternoon everybody, good afternoon. It is exciting to be here in the wonderful State Farm Arena. I am glad to be here with Chairman Jamie Harrison and the DNC officers as well as our great Congresswoman Nikema Williams, and all of the DNC attendees. And we're just so excited that this body has selected Atlanta, Georgia to be one of the finalists to host the 2024 Democratic National Convention.

And we just wrapped a big tour of State Farm Arena. I saw a lot of eyes, a lot of excitement. And we wanted to show them a lot of southern hospitality. So I'm thankful for Steve Koonin and the whole team here at State Farm for really doing that. And I love it here. I love this place.

Atlanta really does stand apart from the other finalists for a variety of reasons, and we're going to talk about that, and we've been talking about that because we provide a really good world class experience and we will do so for the delegates the visitors and the media when they come.

State Farm Arena is a state of the art arena, as you know, and we are the crown jewel for entertainment and concerts and the NBA. In 2020, we've highlighted this, that State Farm Arena was really used to be the largest massive early voting precinct in the nation. Switching this arena into a place where people can exercise their right to vote, that really felt good and it was the right thing to do. 50,000 people came here to cast their votes, and of course we know that election was decided by roughly 11,000 votes. So this arena really made history. And this arena is newly renovated and includes premium suites, hospitality venues and is second to none, and it's the first NBA arena and concert venue to be zero waste. And that's a principle we can all get behind in sustainability.

Of course, it is located in our in our downtown area that's adjacent to the Georgia World Congress Center, Mercedes Benz Stadium and all of this allows for a lot of media spaces and caucusing areas for meetings. And I don't think any other city that is in competition has this amazing ability to have all of the restaurants, businesses and the convention space all within walking distance like we do within a mile.

And this is why we want to be a turnkey solution for the DNC to have an all-in-one solution as we're right here in walking distance to everything and 30,000 hotel rooms. And you know, countless events have been hosted by the city of Atlanta, this is what we do. We do big well, from the Olympic Games to Final Fours to NBA Playoffs to championships and of course we've just been selected for FIFA World Cup and we're going to have some pretty good matches in that regard. And we've had a DNC convention before 1988.

Having the world's busiest and most efficient airport doesn't hurt to be able to do this event and to have 80% of the continental United States flights being able to come within a two-hour flight to come here.
And our MARTA allows people to get around in mass transit.

We know hospitality well, and that's why out of the cities that are selected we are among them, we actually have the most affordability when it comes to room rates for the delegates and the donors and the sponsors. Our business community like those here State Farm, like Delta, like all the rest, they step up being and civic support, and they have all said that they will be here to give their support financially and civically, when and if Atlanta wins this bid for the the DNC 2024 location.

So year after year planner choose us for large scale events of all kinds. And, you know, and that's partly because of our ability to be turnkey to have this location but also because of our diversity. Diversity and inclusion is in our DNA. And we know that we are the backbone of the civil rights movement, the home of the HBCUs and LGBTQ community as we express ourselves and making sure that our policies match our heart, that Atlanta influences everything, but Atlanta also includes everybody. And we have a thriving AAPI and Latino community as well. And so we welcome folks to Atlanta daily, and we hope that the DNC enjoys their stay here. We look forward to working with you, Jamie, and with your team, and to all of the members here in the DNC leadership. And so Atlanta is excited; as you know we are all above, we're enthusiastic to have you come here today. But we also want to make sure that you stay for a while, all the way as we go through 2024 together to make history once again. So now I'll turn it over to a great Atlantan my friend, Congresswoman—no actually I'm going to Jamie, I'm going Chairman, my other friend but not Congressman, to DNC chair Jamie Harrison.

Chairman Jamie Harrison: Thank you so much. It is indeed an honor to be here. In Atlanta. So I want to thank mayor, Mayor Dickens. I want to thank our wonderful Congresswoman and state party chair and Nikema Williams. Earlier we saw Mayor Shirley Franklin, and so many folks for welcoming us here today. As well as the entire convention team for the city of Atlanta and the wonderful people here in State Farm arena. I am duly, duly impressed with this arena. It is—we've we've gone all over the country, we've seen a lot of arenas, but this is definitely a unique arena and it is beautiful.

You know, I am joined here today by several of our DNC officers. Many of you also know that Keisha Lance Bottoms is also an officer of the DNC, the former mayor of Atlanta. She's a dear friend. But I'm also joined here today by Kim Martin who is our vice chair and he's the president of the association of all of the Democratic Party chairs and committees across the country. We have Chris Korge here, who is our our money guy, the finance chair for the DNC, and Jason Rae who is our secretary.

You know, I was excited about being here today and I saw the excitement from Chair Williams and from the mayor as well. But I told them earlier that the most excited person about having us come here today was my mom. My mom lives in Smyrna and works at Georgia State Patricia [phon.] and I can tell you she was overjoyed at the idea that we were going to be here for this convention.

Folks, we have been going all across the country. We have four amazing cities that are vying for the DNC convention in 2024: Atlanta, New York, Houston and Chicago. And I tell you, it's gonna be a hard, hard decision. But let me tell you about Atlanta. Atlanta is a city that represents the Democratic Party's values, the values of diversity, inclusion and opportunity. And Georgia has shown us that we can beat the odds when we invest in grassroots and when we lead with our values.

You know, outside of this bid for the convention, the Democratic Party owes Georgia an entire a whole lot because in 2020, the first time in 20-some odd years, right—28 but who's counting—Georgia cast its ballot for the Democratic nominee, and now the president of the United States, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. And then a few months after that, Georgia decided to step up once again. Because when the pundits said to us, you know, Democrats don't win runoff elections in Georgia. Well, for the first time, Democrats didn't win one runoff election, we actually won two, and we have two United States senators, in Jon Ossoff and Reverend Raphael Warnock, and those senators have been able to do some amazing work to turn this country around, the American Rescue Plan. Now you got $100 million coming into the state of Georgia for broadband, transportation, roads, bridges, cleaning the water, all of that is happening. And very soon we're going to see even more come out of this Congress in order to improve the lives of the people of this great state and the people across this nation. So we owe Georgia a great a great debt. And partly, I want to make sure in this conference that you all know that we have such gratitude to Georgia for their leadership and for stepping up, doing what is in the best interest of the country. So I just want to say thank you on that note.

But I want to close by saying what are we looking for? And I can't stand at this at this podium without remembering someone who was a friend and mentor and Nikema now sits in his seat, the great John Lewis. You know, as a little round-headed boy from Orangeburg, South Carolina, I got an opportunity to work on Capitol Hill for a number of years with Jim Clyburn. But I also worked with John Lewis. I actually, my office I shared a wall with, with Congressman Lewis. And oftentimes, it was his office that was in the Capitol building. Oftentimes Mr. Lewis wouldn't be in his office; he'd be around doing things but I would just go into his office from time to time and just sit there by myself looking at the walls, looking at his pictures. And then one time he came in, and he said, Young Brother, how are you? I said I'm doing well. He said, You need anything? I said, No, Mr. Lewis, I'm just I'm just admiring your wall. I said, it's like a living museum coming in. And he said, Young Brother, let me just tell you one thing, you work hard, but you never give up, never give up.

This state, this party in this state, the people in the state never gave up. And so we can't give up. We got to continue to fight to make sure that everyone in this country can live the American dream. So when you think about a Democratic convention, this is a rare moment. It is a rare moment. I would not be on the stage right now today as the DNC chair, because my first political memory was the 1988 convention, in which Reverend Jesse Jackson spoke to young people. And you know where that convention was? Right here in Atlanta. It was that moment when he told young people to stand up and to build the future that they want, and that inspired me to get involved in politics. So I'm looking forward to continue to hear the story of Georgia, o f Mr. Lewis, and why this place will be an ideal place to host the 2024 convention.

So with that, I turn it back to my friend, the Congresswoman who represents the district that John Lewis represented for so long and she's also the state party chair, Nikema Williams.

Congresswoman Chairwoman Nikema Williams: Thank you, thank you, Jaime. Y'all, I am Congresswoman Nikema Williams, and I have the honor of my life succeeding my hero, my mentor, my friend, the late Congressman John Lewis, serving Georgia's Fifth Congressional District, but I also have the opportunity to work with my colleagues here in the DNC and work with Chairman Harrison, Jamie Harrison, as the chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Georgia.

Mayor, I hope today that we're able to show all of our guests that the true north star in the Democratic Party is right here in the Deep South. That's what we're here to do today, y'all. Y'all Atlanta and the wider state of Georgia represent the future of the Democratic Party of Georgia. Over the past decade, Democrats have made electoral gains in Georgia year after year after year, powers our growing and diversifying greater Atlanta metro area the heart of which I'm so proud to represent in Congress. And now y'all Georgia is the premier battleground state in the country. We cemented our battleground status when we delivered our state's 16 Electoral College votes—16 valid Electoral College votes—giving Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, the presidency and the vice presidency. Y'all the first time in 28 years, Georgia delivered the state on the presidential ticket for Democrats. And we became the premier battleground state when we flipped not one but two U.S. Senate seats securing the Senate majority for Democrats, and giving our partners in the White House what they need to make progress and history, from not only passing the American Rescue Plan, Jamie, but the bipartisan infrastructure law that is changing lives in the state. And y'all also confirming the first black woman ever to sit on the Supreme Court.

Y'all our path to becoming the most competitive swing state in the country, it didn't happen overnight. And it was the result of years of hard work from organizers, volunteers and staff committed to the Democratic Party, our candidates and our vision for not just the state, but our vision for the country. And in just a few cycles we've built the voter enthusiasm, grassroots volunteer base, diverse coalitions, national fundraising success and organizing blueprint needed to win in Georgia and providing the template for democratic success in the wider Deep South and in purple or periwinkle states as I call them across the country.

But we couldn't have done it without the fantastic partnership of our national partners at the DNC that understands the crucial role that Atlanta plays as the Democratic core of the nation's top battleground state. But Georgia Democrats aren't done y'all. We're just getting started. Our momentum is only growing and voters are fired up and ready to get out the vote this November and turn our state even more blue. We're ready to show the country and the world that what happened last cycle, y'all it was not a fluke. And that Georgia will continue to play a pivotal role in Democrats' success throughout the country for years to come.

Compared to some of the other states under consideration, I know you have to be really nice, Jaime, but y'all Georgia has something to prove and the South has something to say. We're eager to demonstrate that we are worthy of the continued national attention and investments, which means that if Atlanta is chosen to host the 2024 Democratic National Convention, we'll be committed to delivering a world class experience for all of those attending and committed to strengthening our world class campaign operation that will propel Democrats to victory in November 2024.

Atlanta, Georgia has always been on the front lines of the fight for progress. Hosting the Democratic National Convention in Atlanta will be a celebration of our growth as a party and it'll be a recommitment to the values that have sustained us, the voters that elected us, and the vision for the future that we're all fighting for.

And now I'm going to turn it back over to my mayor so that we can continue to show you why Atlanta influences everything.
 
Mayor Dickens: I'm ready. Thank you, Congresswoman Williams. And you've heard from the chairman, you've heard from congresswoman, so we're available to take any questions.
 
Question: [off mic.]

Chairman Harrison: Well listen, one of the things that I'm a big believer in, and I like to call myself a Howard Dean acolyte, in the 57 state and territory strategy, which is you got to, you got to invest and compete everywhere. And we know how important Georgia is right now in terms of the national political scene. You got two races this cycle that are—not only two but two are the top races this cycle—that are here in Georgia, that most people across the country even across the world are paying attention to. The governor's race that will take place this year, and the United States Senate race. And so again, Georgia is is right at the center of a lot of the political activity in this country. And so I think it's well placed and it's part of the reason why Atlanta is one of the finalists in the selection process. And so we will go through this process.

The one thing that I like to tell folks is that you know, for a few things that we're looking for. We're looking for a turnkey operation, something that is seamless, because the the experience of the delegates, the press, and everyone attending the convention is really, really important. We don't want people to be staying out in the nosebleeds communities, not that anything's wrong with those communities. But you need to be able to get to the arena, you need to get to your meetings in a timely fashion.

But the most important thing is, is the show. This will be—understand the uniqueness of this convention. This will be the first time in over four years that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will actually get the full attention of the entire country. He didn't have a regular convention in 2020. He didn't even get an opportunity to have an inauguration. And so this is going to give Joe Biden the opportunity to say who he is to the entire country and to the entire world, to hear his story. And so we need a city that can help amplify that story. It can be a part of that Joe Biden message, and so that's why it's gonna be hard, because we got a lot of great cities. But Atlanta has already shown that they they're right at the top in terms of telling their story and vying for this bid. Yes.

Question: [off mic.]

Chairman Harrison: I'll let the mayor take that.
 
Mayor Dickens: Yeah, thank you for that question about the impact on economics. So I view this as an economic development operation as well. Of course, it's about the party, the Democratic National Convention, but it's also about Atlanta being able to capitalize off of all that will come this way during this convention. Some estimates, you know, from other cities that have recently held the convention are in the  $230-$250 million, depending on how you configure the days and all the events and activities. So this can have a huge economic impact for just that week, and the days around that week, but then, for years to come as Atlanta continues to be on the national stage. The economic benefit has a long lasting timeline to it, and so it's substantial. And I'm grateful that we're in the top four. So once you combine that with all the other great opportunities we have to host here in Atlanta, this is this is big.

Chairman Harrison: I would also add that one of the things that we talk about is diversity, equity and inclusion. And that is a big requirement that we're looking for to make sure that the vendors that benefit from the convention aren't just the big, the big boys in the business community but also the diverse vendors, the small biz businesses that are in the communities, the women owned businesses, the minority owned businesses. Because again, this is about showcasing our the diversity of our party. The Democratic Party looks like America. The voters who make up the Democratic Party look like America. The vendors that are going to work for the Democratic Party will also represent the great diversity of America. Ronna McDaniel can't say that, but I can.

Mayor Dickens: I want to double click on what he just said. You know, this is the dating round, the round speed round, so we got to stay here, and I'll get to your question in a second. But as we all know, Atlanta does economic inclusion. That's why— so when we talk about $250 million possibility or more economic impact, we have the biggest you know, diversity program in terms of disadvantaged business, minority businesses, women owned businesses, whether it has us being the hallmark of that the creators of that program at the world's busiest airport, Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport, where we created, we wrote the playbook and the framework for economic inclusion, to even the shirt that Nikema's wearing today is a small black owned business, Atlanta Influences Everything. And the Hawks organization, a shared interest into this company as they have across here are small businesses that operate right in this facility. So when we talk about economic impact, as as chairman just said, as rightfully, as chairman just said, the Democratic values of economic inclusion, we got that in our DNA coming out of our bones, and that's going to be a part of, that's already in our package, and that's a part of our ongoing legacy.

Now your specific question again, was about how does he, when will he make his decision? I think he made it a few minutes ago, but I'll let him...

Chairman Harrison: I know. So Atlanta is our last city that we are we're visiting. We just came from Chicago and we're now here in Atlanta. So over the course of the next few weeks and months, we will sit down with our technical assistance team to kind of make an assessment, to get the final questions answered from all of the cities. We hope to have some more conversations with them. And our timeframe right now loosely is end of the year, first of next year, to make the announcement on where we're going to have it. They won't. Oh, okay.

Question: [off-mic.]

Chairman Harrison: So this was the first big site that we saw, and we're about to, right after this, we're going to wrap up and then go and take a look at some of the other sites. I think we're going over to convention center. And we've been at some of the hotels that we're looking at because hotels are a really, really important component to the convention. So we will be spending some time there and then talking with many of the mayor's staff and some of the other business leaders in the community about some of the technical aspects of the convention. But again, it's a robust two days and so we're really looking forward to it.

Question: [off-mic.]

Chairman Harrison: There's no doubt that Joe Biden is the most labor friendly president in the history of this nation. And so that's going to continue to be a very, very important component for us. And it's a part of the bid and so the mayor and his team and are well aware that, and folks are talking about that, and that will be a part of their presentation. I'm sure the mayor will be happy to talk.

Question: [off-mic.]

 I will let the Mayor and the congresswoman.
 
Mayor Dickens: To your first question, we have union representation here, James Williams. We have North Georgia Labor Council. They are a part of our bid package to the DNC and so labor— I'm a child of labor. I grew up in labor, so we make sure that we have careful considerations about how to include labor. And of course, our President Joe Biden is the biggest labor president we've had. He's very keen on that. So we are matching party ideals all the way up to the presidency on how we go about our labor relations, particularly around this convention.

But then, as you mentioned, the relationship with Governor Kemp. He's aware that we're here. He's, we've already communicated about this, we've talked, as well as our team has talked about what it would be like with the convention being here. Matter of fact, when I leave this stage, I'm going to have a meeting with him right now in a few minutes. So we're conversing about it, and we understand the economic impact and to make sure that we do the right thing.

Right dollars agree. I think they said we have time for one more question.

Mayor Dickens: JD?

Question: You mentioned I believe Delta or maybe some other corporations that are supporting this. Are there any other kind of private buy in that you can speak to right now, when it comes to this convention?

Mayor Dickens: Yeah. So again, like I stated earlier, you know, I see this as an economic development opportunity, as much as all the other values-based things too. And so in doing this, we go out and we share this opportunity with the civic and corporate community. And I've made no less than 20 or so phone calls to corporate CEOs as well as organizations asking for their support should we win. And we have a roster that really shows how much they're willing to contribute, everything from advertising dollars to sweets, to just sponsorships with in-kind opportunities and you know, volunteer support, you know, all—. The business community is really, really showing their full faith in the relationship to, with the city of Atlanta and the DNC. And so I'm looking forward to that. It helps us tremendously to be able to meet the needs to finance the convention, and it's all in our package of what our sponsorships will look like and how, you know, once we get into the nuts and bolts of it with the DNC. But already top line, we're there in terms of sponsorships in the corporate community, I mean, almost to each one that you would understand I would likely call, all of them are saying, we want to host, we're excited, we want to continue this legacy of Atlanta and showing our selves to the world and of course to this nation. So there is support. Alright guys, thank you all.

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