Passionate protests, legions of law enforcement, grandstanding galore — and a city’s reputation on the line. After more than a year of buildup to Chicago’s Democratic National Convention, delegates from across the country and journalists from around the world descended on the city for the historic nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris in the race for president Nov. 5.
How did Chicago and its biggest power players fare? The Sun-Times takes a look back at a week under the spotlight. Chicago’s star shined brightly Tourism officials couldn’t have drawn up a better four-day ad for Chicago. With the help of picture-perfect weather and relatively few logistical hitches, the city’s star shined brightly on the world stage.
In between party functions, visitors found plenty of time to flood social media with Chicago-centric content, from architecture boat tours and Wrigley Field to Italian beefs and Malört shots. “There are a lot of people who had never spent time here, never had the opportunity to see for themselves or experience for themselves what Chicago is like,” said South Side state Rep. Theresa Mah.
“And once they come here, their expectations are completely exceeded.” Early in the week, lengthy security lines and traffic backups left some delegates waiting up to three hours to get off their buses and into the United Center. “You’re moving 50,000 people around, you’re gonna have a few glitches,” said Tim Drea, president of the Illinois AFL-CIO.
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