Florida aims to torpedo bid for the Milwaukee Convention in 2020

MIAMI – Miami fears that the solution is brought.

Local Democrats are increasingly believing that the 2020 National Democratic Convention will be in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a conclusion that has led politicians, donors and insiders in Florida to hold a final lobbying blitz to reverse trend.

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The final effort really began in recent days as speculation mounted that the chairman of the National Democratic Committee, Tom Perez, would choose Milwaukee, where he had family ties and the pressure Democratic governors from Wisconsin and Illinois weighing him down to a Midwestern location.

Perez denied deciding or favoring any of the three finalists, including Houston.

Nevertheless, the delegation of the Democratic Congress of this state was put at the service to convince him. Hotel unions are also trying to choose Miami. The workforce is more present in the hospitality sector here than in Milwaukee.

Miami's Democratic donors – many of whom have already hosted President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton on several occasions and are already jostled by many Democratic presidential candidates – are applying their influence to the city's candidacy. Some of them already claim to rely on potential candidates for 2020 – they will not say which ones – to get them behind the bid for the Miami Congress.

Miami Field Foundation: This is the heart of the largest Democratic county in the country's largest swing state. Losing Florida – representing 29 Electoral College votes, up from 10 in Wisconsin – would likely cost President Donald Trump his reelection.

"We are making a last-ditch effort to convince the DNC that Miami is the best place to go, this could give the candidate a boost," said Chris Korge, chief financier of Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign and co-chair. of the Miami convention effort.

Korge said that he was limited in his remarks due to a request from the DNC for the discussions not to be made public.

Behind the scenes, the selection of the convention site was a proxy fight over the conduct of the presidential campaign, between the Rust belt and the white voters of the working class who had deserted the party in 2016, against a coastal megalopolis diversified, where voter turnout will be essential to democratic hopes in 2020.

Milwaukee officials are playing their relationship with downtown and their mild summers, contrasting with those of Miami and the hurricane risk. This is a subject of debate that so much angered Miami officials that they looked for historical storm data to show that hurricanes are rare in early July, when the convention would take place.

Miami officials also launched a quality of life debate claiming that housing in Milwaukee was so limited that California's large delegation could not occupy a single hotel in the city – a problem that convention organizers from Miami are waiting to raise with the best of California. renowned politician, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, for her support.

Midwestern Democrats are approaching the decision with a flea on their shoulder. They say Clinton has snubbed Wisconsin and Michigan, saying the party needs to re-establish relations with the Midwest.

"Florida is a pivotal state. But we are a swing region. The Midwest is supportive and no convention has been held in the Midwest since 1996, "said a Wisconsin official involved in the discussion. "We are isolated from natural disasters. We do not have tornadoes. We do not have hurricanes. We do not have earthquakes. "

As for Miami's paranoia about Milwaukee, the manager said, "They are more confident than us. It's a jumping ball … it seems to change every day.

Among the Democratic initiates, it is thought that Houston is out of place, victim of more stifling summer than Miami, of a relatively small Democratic delegation and concerned about the specter of oil money funding a convention for a party that believes in climate change and the reduction of fossil fuel use fuel.

Before the final decision, the mayors of Miami and Miami Beach contacted each of the 13 Democratic members of the Florida Florida Congress to engage them. Some have already called Perez. Representative Donna Shalala of Miami, who was President Bill Clinton's Health Secretary, spoke to him personally about Miami's candidacy at a dinner hosted by former US ambassador to Belgium, Paul Cejas, a prominent Democratic donor. . Former justice minister Willy Ferrer, a former attorney for South Florida (South Florida), also intervened.

Both performers Gloria and Emilio Estefan have also lent their star power. Former New York Yankee Derek Jeter, who is now co-owner of the Miami Marlins, was "very excited" to help create his new club's baseball stadium. convention, said a source.

Joe Falk, a major South Florida donor involved in supporting Miami's bid, said Miami should be able to sell because it's multi-ethnic, gay-friendly, and a place where donors are much more likely to sell. open their portfolios as Milwaukee.

"How do you get the donor to dig deeper? Show him a good time, says Falk. "Donors are here and we know how to treat donors. We have the facilities necessary for these incredible people to feel comfortable. And we know how to have a good holiday. "

Another Democratic donor in Miami, who did not want to be identified, said he was already besieged by presidential candidates. And he makes sure to put pressure on the question of the bid for the Miami convention.

"If you want Florida support, you should support Florida. It's a simple message, "said the donor. "You hear people say" Florida, Florida, Florida. "They do not say" Wisconsin, Wisconsin, Wisconsin. "There is a reason for this."

But it's not just stars, ambassadors and talented players who help. UNITE HERE, a hotel union, calls on Perez, members of the DNC and other well-known Democrats, to reinforce Miami's efforts.

"For our union in particular, it's a no-brainer," said Wendi Walsh, UNITE HERE's international vice president. "For this DNC, we have nearly 4,000 hotel rooms booked in South Florida, compared to zero in Milwaukee."

Wisconsin officials note, however, that they have a much more union-friendly state than Florida.

Walsh, who said the AFSCME Public Service Employees Union is also engaged, said the effort had a purely political dimension: "Florida counts a lot, and we want to win Florida."

The convention would help instill a sense of energy in South Florida, which would address the longstanding involvement of the Liberal bastion, which led the Democrats to lose the recent elections across the state. about one percentage point, according to a statement. Wednesday letter in Perez written by Christian Demvert, a renowned Democratic consultant, who advised Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber and his predecessor, Philip Levine, co-chair of the Korge Convention.

Ulvert noted that Trump Monday in campaign in Miami as part of an outreach effort aimed at convincing voters of Venezuelan descent and strengthening the support of Cuban-Americans.

"The Republican strategy has been to maximize gains outside of South Florida and undermine our support here," wrote Ulvert. "Florida is zero for the presidential election – Miami-Dade is clearly zero for Florida."