News coverage and analysis from the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
There are passionate protests, heavy police presence, bombastic performances — and the city's reputation is at stake.
After more than a year of preparation for the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, delegates from across the country and journalists from around the world gathered in the city on November 5th for the historic nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidency.
So how did Chicago and its biggest players fare? The Sun-Times looks back on a remarkable week.
Chicago's star shone bright
Tourism officials couldn't have thought of a better four-day advertisement for Chicago, and thanks to picture-perfect weather and relatively few logistical problems, the city's star shone on the world stage.
In between parties, visitors found plenty of time to flood social media with Chicago-centric content, from architecture boat tours and Wrigley Field to Italian beef and Malört shots.
“There are a lot of people in Chicago who have never been here before and never had a chance to see and experience for themselves what Chicago is like,” South Side state Councilwoman Theresa Marr said, “and when they get here, it completely exceeds their expectations.”
Earlier in the week, long security queues and traffic jams meant some delegates waited up to three hours to get off their buses and into the United Center.
“Any time you move 50,000 people, you're going to have some trouble,” said Tim Drea, president of the Illinois AFL-CIO. “Chicago has shown that it's not what its critics say it is, it's one of the great cities in the world, it's a really great place. I think people are going to leave Chicago feeling very positive.”
With many downtown commuters working from home during the week of the convention, the promised immediate economic boost to local restaurants and shops may not have materialized, but it is almost certain to boost tourism going forward.
Big gamble for Mayor Brandon Johnson
Johnson inherited the political clout of hosting the games and the pressure to ensure they run smoothly after former Mayor Lori Lightfoot stepped down from office last year.
A welcome but exhausting respite from Chicago's longstanding challenges, Johnson took up a hectic schedule of public office and made the most of it: He built a national profile, garnered political support as a cheerleader for candidate Harris-Waltz, and forged alliances with mayors of other big cities.
It's no wonder Johnson ended the week on a shaky note. It's surprising that Chicago's mayor still had anything to say after it was over.
Mayor Brandon Johnson spoke Monday during the first day of the 2024 Democratic National Convention, held at the United Center.
“I promised you we would host a safe, vibrant and inspiring Games in the greatest city in the world – Chicago – and we delivered,” Johnson said.
Johnson began each day of convention week by touring the state delegation breakfasts, watched the star-studded convention from a suite at the United Center, and ended his days sampling some of the many after-parties.
On Monday, he delivered an impassioned late-afternoon welcome speech to delegates from a podium at the United Center. He was busy socializing and didn't even stand by Governor Pritzker's side while he cast Illinois' 176 delegation votes for Harris during a state roll call that turned into a DJ-hosted dance party on Tuesday.
Veteran political activist Delmarie Cobb said Johnson “had a lot to gain” from holding a convention “without rioting or chaos.”
“This is a major event that has a lot of national and international implications and he's done a great job and pulled off a great event. It's given him some credibility for those who saw him as a one-term candidate and already saw him that way,” Cobb said.
“I'm not saying this will change the trajectory of his political career, but it will have the effect of, at least temporarily, curbing that narrative.”
Governor JB Pritzker's Prime Time Moment
Pritzker was, by one definition, the party's kingmaker. The Democratic governor, who helped secure the city's convention site, enjoyed a week of hosting donors, delegates and guests. His voice was hoarse from delegate breakfasts, panels, interviews, late-night parties and concerts when he took the stage to deliver a prime-time speech on Tuesday.
Pritzker's prime-time speech was effective in eliciting a response from former President Donald Trump, who has an obsession with competing with other billionaires. Pritzker blasted Trump's “stupidity” and challenged his claims of wealth, which was a triggering move for the former president.
“Donald Trump claims to be incredibly wealthy, so he thinks we should trust him with the economy,” Pritzker said. “If you ask actual billionaires, the only thing that makes him wealthy is stupidity.”
Surrounded by his family and members of the Illinois delegation, Gov. J.B. Pritzker spoke during a ceremonial roll call vote at the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on Tuesday night.
This was enough to trigger a response from President Trump, who called Pritzker “incompetent.”
The convention was a win for the governor, who was referred to as the convention's “host” in a nationally televised interview. Since the pandemic began, Pritzker has worked to boost his national profile, and his social gathering with national reporters and editors this week appeared to generate positive coverage.
Governor Pritzker hinted this week that he intends to host the convention again in 2028. The intense attention this week has helped the governor, who has presidential ambitions, even if he's not sure when he might run. It's raised a lot of questions about his future. In an interview, Governor Pritzker said he was “absolutely” considering a third run for governor. The day before, Governor Pritzker joked that his wife was his “term limit.”
Chicago Police Department Report Card
Police Inspector Larry Snelling has said for months that the police department will be ready if thousands of protesters descend on the city for the rally.
When they finally showed up to rallies, Mr. Snelling was on the front lines every day to greet them. In the end, he kept an important promise: Police allowed protesters to express their views while quelling disorderly and violent behavior.
Through it all, Mr. Snelling has emerged as the face of Chicago during his first big test as the top cop, fielding daily questions from hordes of local and national media reporters. He said Wednesday that one of his main goals is to change the outside perception that Chicago is inherently shady.
“Chicago has a stigma,” Snelling said. “It's no secret that the city is dangerous, but there are also people who don't live here who believe that if they come here, they'll be in immediate danger. This is a beautiful city. We have to restore our reputation.”
Chicago Police Inspector Larry Snelling monitors protests at the Democratic National Convention on Monday.
Despite the controversy throughout the week, Snelling repeatedly defended his officers and made no apologies for their actions.
Some worried that Johnson, a former community activist, would tell Snelling to go easy on the protesters. But they were wrong. When clashes between protesters and police outside the Israeli Consulate in the West Loop turned ugly on Tuesday night, Snelling took the lead, ordering officers in riot gear to quell the clashes. Police made 59 arrests.
Johnson praised the state police chief for “doing exactly what the whole world would expect from him: No. 1, protecting First Amendment rights, because that's the bedrock of our democracy. And then, of course, keeping people safe.”
Veteran Democratic political strategist Pete Giangreco suggested protest organizers were “lucky” not to draw the expected maximum of 50,000 participants, but called Snelling a “superstar.”
“How much credit does the mayor get compared to the governor? That's an open question. Everybody knows this has been Gov. Pritzker's show. But the city has come out of this well, so it gives the mayor a little edge,” Giangreco said. “The city has come out of this situation smelling of roses.”
There are good and bad sides to business.
DNC organizers promised that the West Side neighborhood would benefit from hosting the convention, and while some businesses enjoyed a four-day boom, not all small businesses received a windfall from the influx of out-of-town attendees.
The financial overflow never reached Victoria Davis' soul food grill, a few miles from the arena, at 4231 W. Madison Ave. “I guess I just fell too far behind,” she said.
But people attending DemPalooza, a four-day vendor fair at McCormick Place, were excited to sell their wares and get noticed.
NextGen America's booth at Dempalooza on Tuesday at McCormick Place.
Caitlin Washburn/The Sun-Times
Sip & Saver handed out free iced coffee samples at the pop-up cafe. “A lot of people already knew about us,” said Trez Pugh III, owner and CEO of Sip & Saver. But being at Dempalooza gave them the chance to talk to people from Los Angeles, New York and Texas.
Councilwoman Nicole Lee (District 11) said she would love to see a full analysis of what the convention actually accomplished.
“This has always been touted as a major economic booster and I'm excited to see the impact beyond just hotels and venues,” she said.
Has the protesters' message been heard?
In the streets outside the convention site, crowds chanted about genocide and “Killer Kamala,” especially on the final night of the Democratic National Convention. Politicians partying inside the United Center acknowledged the protests but made little effort to spread their message.
“The protesters in the streets have a point. Too many innocent people are being killed on both sides,” President Joe Biden told the crowd on Monday. Sen. Kamala Harris spoke in favor of the war in her acceptance speech, but her efforts to balance support for Israel with the goal of ending the misery in Gaza did not go down well with the thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters who had been marching for days.
In response, some delegates were targeted by hecklers on their way home after Harris spoke Thursday night.
Thousands of protesters gathered in Union Park ahead of Monday's Democratic National Convention march.
Tyler Pasiak Lariviere/The Sun-Times
In a real blow to protesters, a group of independent delegates staged a sit-in that lasted nearly 24 hours but failed to convince DNC officials to allow a Palestinian-American speaker to the stage.
As the rally began, comparisons to the violent 1968 rally in Chicago seemed endless, but nothing approached that level of chaos. Protests were largely peaceful, and police reported more than 70 arrests in one week, up from hundreds in 1968.
Jay Uhlfelder, a Harvard University political science professor who studies mass protests, said there is zero chance of a repeat of 1968. It is difficult to significantly disrupt an event like a political convention because it takes months of planning and has a nearly unlimited security budget.
“Many local police departments are equipped similarly to the National Guard in the 1960s and '70s,” he said. “The weapons they can bring to bear to contain and deter people are truly overwhelming.”
Contributors: Lauren Fitzpatrick, Amy Yee, Frank Main, Nader Issa, Brett Chase, Andy Grimm
