National Democrats Snub Chicago for 2028 DNC as Pritzker Polls at Just 2%

By Illinois Review

Chicago has been eliminated from consideration to host the 2028 Democratic National Convention, dealing another setback to Gov. JB Pritzker as he works to expand his national political profile ahead of the next presidential election.

The Democratic National Committee announced that Boston, Denver and Philadelphia are the three finalists to host the party’s 2028 convention, leaving Chicago off the list despite Pritzker lobbying to bring the massive political gathering back to Illinois.

Chicago hosted the Democratic convention in 2024, when Pritzker used the national spotlight to promote Illinois and raise his profile among Democratic activists and party leaders.

But four years later, Democrats are looking elsewhere.

The snub comes as Pritzker faces mounting challenges at home while positioning himself as a potential 2028 presidential contender.

Since 2020, more than 500,000 residents have left Illinois, while more than 1,200 businesses have departed the state. The Chicago Bears are also openly exploring a move across the state line to Hammond, Indiana, after years of uncertainty surrounding plans for a new stadium in Illinois.

Pritzker’s national ambitions have also struggled to gain traction.

Recent national polling has placed the billionaire governor at just 2 percent among potential Democratic presidential candidates, leaving him near the bottom of the prospective 2028 field despite his increasingly prominent role in national Democratic politics.

Hosting another Democratic National Convention would have provided Pritzker with a major platform heading into the 2028 presidential cycle.

Instead, Democrats will choose between Boston, Denver and Philadelphia.

For Pritzker and Chicago, the message from the DNC’s shortlist is difficult to ignore: just four years after Democrats celebrated their party’s future in the Windy City, they’re already looking somewhere else.