Last week I lamented the unoriginal host cities selected by the major parties for their 2024 conventions, while conceding that the location of a convention has little-to-no electoral impact. Nonetheless, I was left wanting something more, some genuine excitement in the city selections going forward. Host cities should mean something! They should be cities that represent the best of America’s past and the bright prospects for its future. 

In that spirit, I’ve put together a list of five cities that deserve an opportunity to host one of the major party’s national conventions in 2028 and on. I limited the cities I’d pick from along two criteria. First, they can’t have ever hosted a major party convention before, which seems fair given I was complaining about how many times Chicago has been picked and how boring that’s become. Second, they must be one of the largest 51 major metropolitan areas in the country, which also seems reasonable given the city needs to have the infrastructure to host a major party gathering and we don’t want to destroy a small town with all the politicos running around getting hammered after the nominee’s acceptance speech. 

But first, some notable mentions. Washington, DC is the largest metropolitan area in the country that has never hosted either party’s convention. I’ll accept the optics of hosting a national convention inside the Beltway may make a party seem out of touch and distant from the rest of the country, but DC has a lot of things going for it: plenty of hotels, large convention spaces and arenas, picturesque and patriotic scenery, and a local population ready and willing to host and discuss anything political. And think of the travel and housing costs you’d save when so many party must-haves are already there! There needs to be a better reason to reject DC outright than just the insider appeal, it’s a wonderful city and would do a great job as the host when the time is right.1For some reason, my mind immediately jumps to the idea of having DC host the incumbent president’s party convention while the nation is engaged in a civil war or World War III or something… something where the key members of government had to be close by the assets and infrastructure of the  military-industrial complex. Let’s hope that’s not what it takes for DC to eventually host, but you can see the patriotic need I’m trying to hint at with this example! Another notable mention is Orlando, Florida: once again, there’s hotel space, plenty to do, and this is another massive metropolitan area that has a lot to offer. It’s not taken very seriously as a city because of its main attraction but it’s also not the worst choice in the world where hotels, accommodations, and entertainment space are a must – that its native businesses showcase the future of American soft power in the form of culture, entertainment, and the arts is just another plus. Salt Lake City also turned an eyebrow for me: it’s growing quickly, has a big tech scene that both parties should be eager to court, and – while Utah is no swing state – there’s some interesting political movement on the ground there. Finally, Indianapolis and Memphis get notable mentions because they’re both centrally located major cities (they’re both located near median/mean US population!) but didn’t make the cut because they were a little underwhelming and offered little to set them apart from the rest of our finalists. 

But now that that’s all out of the way, here are the five cities I’d most like to see host a major party convention in the near future:

#5 – Nashville

Though Memphis didn’t make the cut, Nashville has the right stuff. The Tennessee capital is centrally located within the United States (no dispositive factor in and of itself, but a nice plus for all of the dispersed and disparate members of the party apparatus) and offers two major venues: the indoor Bridgestone Arena (home of the Predators) and the outdoor Nissan Stadium (home of the Titans). The 35th largest metropolitan area in the country and the smallest on this list, the Country Music Capital also boasts many universities, including more historically Black colleges than any city other than Atlanta. Though the recent machinations of the Republican-led state legislature may seem like a stain on the city, Nashville’s city’s council resisted the expulsion of their Black state lawmaker Justin Jones by reappointing him to the legislature. Indeed, in an otherwise very red state, Nashville stands out as a bastion of democracy – and perhaps that’s fitting given the city’s nickname as the “Athens of the South.” You can see how a Democratic Party, anxious to emphasize democracy and voting rights, could launch a national effort from Nashville, especially in yet another venue that imitates one of the most famous symbols of democracy in the world.

#4 – Austin

Texas may not be a true swing state yet, but the trends are certainly pointing in that direction, and the Lone Star State will likely become the largest state by population sometime in the middle of the 21st century. In many ways, Texas is the state that best resembles America’s future: big, diverse, urbanized, and – from an energy standpoint – surprisingly green! And if there’s one city in Texas that is the epitome of its electoral and cultural transition, it’s the state capital of Austin.

Austin is one of the definitive success stories of the 21st century, rapidly growing and surging with hip Millennials, tech workers, a vibrant LGBTQ community, and flourishing local and major businesses that would be the envy of any other similarly-sized city. Despite all this growth, the city has also managed to remain one of the safest big cities in the country. I’m going to use the “Denver for the DNC in 2008” comparison a couple times in this piece (with a more on point comparison coming up), but Austin has the potential to offer something similar: a high-demand, hip, and aspirational urban center at the heart of a burgeoning swing state.

All of this points to the fact that Austin would be a good candidate for Democrats, anxious to compete seriously in the Lone Star State, buoyed by a friendly metropolitan population – if not a friendly state government. But the same logic should appeal to a future RNC too: how better to show that you’ve toned down your divisive, inflammatory, and alienating rhetoric, than by coming home to the party’s longtime spiritual center and embracing the demographic destiny of the country, while also displaying how the GOP can compete in a more diverse country?

But, Austin ranks in fourth place because it’s new to the major venue game and the options are pretty weak. The Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, home of the University of Texas Longhorns is the largest one (capacity over 100,000); and the Longhorns also have a large arena in the form of Moody Center (capacity over 15,000) – but what party seeking to compete in Texas would opt for the stadium that would alienate all of the Aggies fans! That leaves Q2 stadium, a soccer stadium that opened in 2021 which has a capacity closer to 21,000 – but this is an outdoor stadium and it’s pretty removed from the city’s center. I really want Austin to work, I think has the potential to be at least a #2 or #3 pick for either party if the venue issue can be solved: so Austinites, let me know!

#3 – Pittsburgh

Were it not for the venue problems in the aforementioned Austin, Pittsburgh would be #4 on the list. But alas, Steel City offers two major venues that we’re hard pressed to ignore: the PPG Paints Arena (home to the Penguins) and Acrisure Stadium (home to the Steelers). Were it not for the obvious strengths of Austin, mentioning these would be the bare minimum, but Pittsburgh also has some other reasons it deserves to be in the top five.

For one, it is the best city on this list to showcase a bygone history and the convergence of the historic base of one major party with insurgent winds at the back of another. If Milwaukee is a boring choice for the parties after two election cycles in a row, Pittsburgh is an obvious one they’re overlooking. Not only is Pennsylvania a more valuable state electorally (19 electoral votes compared to Wisconsin’s ten), it’s also got a more diverse and interesting business environment – something Democrats are keen to attract to fund their majorities and Republicans likely need to rekindle the love with. 

Politics aside, Pittsburgh is a success: housing is affordable, it’s well-educated, and it beats out Austin as the largest city with the lowest crime rate. Whether it’s the Republican Party playing up its newfound Midwestern appeal or the Democratic Party trying to emphasize its historic union roots in a city within the Rust Belt, Pittsburgh should speak to the key interests of both major parties and is an excellent choice for a major party convention in the decade to come.

#2 – Phoenix

I acknowledged Washington, DC in the “notable mentions” paragraph above as the largest city never to host. The second largest metro area that has never hosted is Phoenix, Arizona, perennially the forgotten big city among its other top ten metropolitan compatriots. But no longer – thanks to the stunning turnaround for the Democratic Party in the state that once brought Republican stalwarts like Barry Goldwater and John McCain, Phoenix has emerged as one of the most important cities in the country when it comes to national politics. Without it, Democrats may not have the White House right now… and they certainly would not have their current, three-year-old Senate majority.

I invoked Denver while discussing Austin and will do so again for what I feel is a slightly for astute comparison because Phoenix has the potential to be what Denver was to Democrats in 2008: the right city at the right time. As Republicans pick off voters in the older, shrinking, and more homogenous Midwest, Democrats have seen a flurry of victories in the Sun Belt – notably, and recently, in states like Georgia and Arizona. Both states have large populations concentrated within a major metropolitan area and are growing, but while Georgia soaks up much of the national attention (certainly the last couple of cycles, given the runoff elections for the state’s Senate seats), Arizona has yet to host a major party convention. Placing more focus on Latino voters, who make up around 31% of the population in the Grand Canyon State, makes sense as both parties are approaching the bloc as potential swing voters.2That said, there’s good reason to think the more apocalyptic takes on Latino voters moving towards Republicans are probably overblown. 

The home of four major league sports teams and a wealth of other venues, Phoenix has ample event space, which is to be expected of a metropolitan area of five million, larger than the populations of most states. Its hotel space may be wanting for a city of its size (the only source I could find on this claimed Phoenix boasted around 60,000 rooms in 2013, the tenth most for any city in the country), but it’s still well above the capacity of Milwaukee, Cleveland, or Denver, which all hosted conventions recently. Given Arizona’s electoral importance, Phoenix’s massive size, all that it has to offer, and what it represents for the fate of each party, the city is a no-brainer for either convention. If anything, Phoenix is the city that is the most overdue for a convention!

#1 – Las Vegas

300 miles and one Hoover Dam away, but of equal electoral importance, is our winner. The 29th largest metropolitan area in the country, the stepping stone to the Southwest, and a city unlike any other in the country when it comes to venues, accommodations, and the ability to channel America’s nostalgia into a modern symbol of hope and opportunity: Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Sin City is unparalleled when it comes to hotel capacity (more than any other city in the country), ease of travel, and affordability. Its venue space has no comparison: host a convention at the brand new Allegiant Stadium (home of the Raiders), T-Mobile Arena (home of the Golden Knights), Michelob Ultra Arena (home of the Aces), the MGM Grand Garden Arena, or… dare I say… the Sphere. This wealth of both hotel and venue options is one thing, but the scale at which this exists in Vegas should bring down overall costs for whichever party chooses the city. Don’t forget there’s also a wealthy benefactor with a major role in one of the parties who happens to have his name on a hotel in town…

I’ll concede that I may be a little biased, but it comes from a place of on-the-ground experience understanding both the city and its unique political place in the United States. What I am less willing to concede is the optical gripe that many will have with picking Sin City as the host of a major party’s convention.3Not that it matters but, true to form, the Libertarian Party, who held their national convention in Las Vegas in 2012, more than doubled its vote share from the 2008 cycle. For one, the city has come a long way from its grimy and sleazy “heyday,” and now boasts major gatherings like the Consumer Electronics Show and the National Association of Broadcasters. Sure, hosting a party’s definitive gathering in a city associated with gambling, bacchanalia, and other carnal impulses may generate some negative or jovial punditry – but it also serves to remind people how far the city has come and why. Regardless of any negative reputation, it remains one of the most famous and popular places on Earth, as recognizable an American city as any other save New York. Indeed, the city has already begun to draw major political forums, and though these are largely concentrated in Republican politics, major Democrats have started to realize the strategic value of frequently descending on the city. 

Las Vegas remains one of the true bastions of powerful unions with unparalleled electoral sway. It’s also an unlikely manifestation of how America can solve some of its most pressing 21st century problems, from green energy to water conservation. The fact of the matter is that Las Vegas is – as I’ve said before – the story of America told in the extreme. Luck becomes loss; industry becomes service; hope presages the inevitable crash. And yet, like the country in which it resides, it carries on, more powerful than before, growing from each setback to become increasingly resilient and consequential. Though manufacturing, agriculture, and traditionally blue collar professions will always play a role in the engine of America’s economy, the economy of the 21st century United States will be fueled by entertainment, services, and tourism; Las Vegas is a uniquely suited and anomalous model for a city built on these industries.

This is the reason Las Vegas beats out Phoenix in this ranking. It is one thing to outshine other cities in terms of logistics and accommodations, and another to be the center of population and power in a critical swing state (as both cities are), but the symbolic meaning Vegas offers either party sets it over the top. The city’s political importance, historical glamor, economic resilience, infusion of nostalgia, and novelty make it the city most deserving of a major party convention.

As always, we’d love to hear from you! Tell us why your city would make a great pick, what our ranking missed, or if you have particularly strong feelings about any of these choices.