Democrats are picking Milwaukee as the host city for the Democratic National Convention in 2020, four years after presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s loss in Wisconsin contributed to the election of President Trump.
Clinton was the first Democrat since Walter Mondale to lose Wisconsin to a Republican, and she has taken criticism for not visiting or paying attention to the state.
The decision to put the convention in Milwaukee signals the party’s commitment to retaking Wisconsin in 2020.
Democrats got a head start in the state in 2018 when they defeated longtime GOP Gov. Scott Walker.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced Milwaukee had beaten out Houston and Miami to host the convention, which is slated for July 13 through July 16 and will be held at Fiserv Forum.
The arena was opened last year and is home to the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks.
The DNC noted that this is the first time the party will hold a national convention in the Midwest outside of Chicago since 1916.
The Republican National Convention is slated to be held next year in Charlotte, North Carolina, from Aug. 24 to 27.
In addition to losing Wisconsin, Clinton was defeated in the states of Pennsylvania and Michigan, neither of which had been won by a Republican since President George H.W. Bush in 1992.
The loss of the three states has haunted Democrats, as Clinton won the popular vote by nearly 3 million votes, and would have won the electoral college if she had managed to hold on to the three states.
All three states will be closely fought over in 2020, and Democrats lining up for the party’s nomination are likely to have to prove to some voters that they can win where Clinton lost.
Republicans chose Charlotte after most cities, with the exception of Las Vegas, backed out of hosting their event.
The 6-5 vote by the Charlotte City Council was marked by fierce debate over Trump and some of his administration’s more controversial policies, and whether or not the heavily Democratic city is endorsing those policies by hosting the convention.
Democrat Larken Egleston, who cast the deciding vote in favor of hosting the GOP, said that “hosting the RNC in Charlotte in no way implies our endorsement of this president.”