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An aerial view of the Milwaukee town hall and the Fiserv forum. Milwaukee is one of three candidate cities for the 2020 Democratic National Convention.(Photo: Mike De Sisti, Sentinel of the Milwaukee Diary)Buy a photo

The Wisconsin Democrats are redoubling their efforts to win another grand prize: the Democratic National Convention 2020, at the end of the races that took place Tuesday in Washington.

Milwaukee, Houston and Miami Beach are the three finalists. The selection is expected to be announced early next year after DNC's new visit to Milwaukee to discuss the proposal.

"We have always felt that we have very strong arguments for the 2020 National Democratic Convention," said Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. "The results (Tuesday) have strengthened our cause.It is clear that Wisconsin and the Midwest will constitute a major battleground in 2020. And the fact that the National Democrats have not held any national convention in the Midwest to outside Chicago since 1916, when holding the convention in St. Louis, stresses the need to bring her here. "

Wisconsin will likely be closely contested in the 2020 presidential race, just as it has for decades. The state was a constituent element of President Donald Trump's victory in 2016.

Houston and Miami Beach can also present political arguments in favor of the convention.

Democratic Beto O. Rourke, who failed to meet US Senator Ted Cruz, took up a big challenge in Texas. Republicans narrowly won the governor and US Senate races in Florida, though the race in the Senate is likely to be recounted.

US Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin, who won Tuesday, urges his party to hold the convention in Milwaukee.

Baldwin is in frequent contact with Tom Perez, chairman of the National Democratic Committee and the person who ultimately has the last word on the choice of convention venue. Perez has close ties to Wisconsin. His wife is from the state, they married in Milwaukee and one of their daughters attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Perez also came to Milwaukee on Monday to campaign for the Democrats.

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How often does Baldwin discuss the convention with Perez?

"Whenever we talk," said Baldwin. "I know we're calling ourselves X, but we want the Milwaukee convention in 2020. That's not going to stop, I think, given the outcome of this election, you can not ignore the heart. from America. "

In addition, she said: "It's also a lot nicer to be in Milwaukee in July than to be in Houston in July."

US Rep. Mark Pocan, Democrat of Dane County, also pleads for Milwaukee.

Wisconsin is a state the Democrats will have to win in 2020, he said. "This is one of the most dynamic countries with negative messages on fundamental economic issues, and I hope they place great importance on the Milwaukee site."

But in the race for a convention, money, logistics and hotels go beyond pure politics.

The local bid committee, led by Alex Lasry, senior vice president of Milwaukee Bucks, will have to raise between $ 50 and $ 70 million to host the convention.

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The application focuses on a compact site, with the Forum Fiserv as the centerpiece of the convention. The organizers of the bids indicate that there are 15,000 hotel rooms within a 20-minute drive of downtown Milwaukee.

The organizers say that a congress will attract 50,000 people, with an estimated economic impact of $ 200 million.

A Democratic Site Selection Committee visited the city in August.

RELATED: Site Selection Group Reviews Milwaukee's Application to the 2020 National Democratic Convention

"They left the site visit very satisfied and confident in the capacity and availability of our hotel," said Lasry.

"We continue from the beginning to try to work and to tell our story that Milwaukee is the place to be in 2020," he said. "I think the elections served to show the Midwest and Wisconsin, in particular, as a politically interesting state."

Lasry stressed the bipartisan nature of the effort. The bid committee received support from Republican Governor Scott Walker, who leaves office in January, and Republican leaders from the state.

Lasry said he was eager to work with Republicans as well as with Governor-elect Tony Evers, a Democrat.

"It's not politics, but putting Wisconsin and Milwaukee on the map as they've never been before," Lasry said. "And it's about reintroducing the city and the state to the whole country."

Lasry said he was expecting negotiations to begin in a month between the Democratic National Committee and the three finalist cities.

"The DNC is obviously a bit busy right now," he said.

Paul Upchurch, President and CEO of Visit Milwaukee, the non-profit group that promotes the city to convention organizers, will include a group of DNC officials, including Perez, who will return to Milwaukee in December to conduct additional negotiations. .

"We have reached a higher level," said Upchurch at a Thursday board meeting of the downtown Milwaukee Business Improvement District.

Tom Daykin of Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.

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