Nevertheless, Pritzker expressed confidence that state and local authorities could\u00a0work hand in hand with the Secret Service, FBI and other federal agencies under Trump\u2019s purview to secure a future DNC, just as they did in 2024 under Democratic President Joe Biden<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe work every day at the state with federal agencies,\u201d such as the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, Pritzker said, speaking with the Chicago skyline as a backdrop during a news conference at the observation deck atop 875 North Michigan Avenue, the former John Hancock Center. \u201cThey\u2019re hyperprofessional, the folks that we work with, and they help us arrest the bad guys, and we help them arrest the bad guys.\u201d<\/p>\n Pritzker, who is seeking a third term<\/a> as governor but is also considered a possible contender for the Democrats\u2019 2028 presidential nomination, said he is \u201calways concerned\u201d about how Trump might act.<\/p>\n Johnson, who in January expressed \u201cprofound concerns\u201d<\/a> about the Trump administration\u2019s involvement in security planning for a potential 2028 DNC in Chicago, softened his tone somewhat Wednesday, noting that the president\u2019s use of \u201chis personal militarized force\u201d to carry out\u00a0immigration enforcement crackdowns has abated.<\/p>\n \u201cOur ability to work with the federal agencies is still very much strong and intact,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cBut, of course, it would be irresponsible if we did not express those concerns, to call it out for what it is, so that in the event, once a decision is made, wherever this convention is, this president cannot behave the same way, in a partisan way, to brutalize and, of course, to single out his political opponents.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2024, Congress allocated $75 million<\/a> each to Chicago and Milwaukee, host of that year\u2019s Republican National Convention, to help cover security costs.<\/p>\n New York, which hosted the Democrats in 1976 and 1980, was the last city to hold back-to-back conventions for the same party, but Chicago has been a repeat site.<\/p>\n President Franklin Roosevelt received the Democratic nomination for a third and fourth term at Chicago Stadium in 1940 and 1944; former Illinois Gov. Adlai Stevenson was the party\u2019s choice during conventions at the International Amphitheatre in 1952 and 1956; and the Democrats came to town in 1892 and 1896 to nominate Grover Cleveland and William Jennings Bryan, respectively. Republicans held five straight conventions in the city, from 1904 through 1920.<\/p>\n \u201cThis city is used to hosting great conventions, and we\u2019ve done it before twice in a row, so I\u2019m excited to welcome folks back and to be supportive of it,\u201d said Pritzker, who, along with his wife, MK, shelled out $5.6 million<\/a> from a trust fund to support the 2024 convention. Their contribution accounted for nearly 6% of the $97 million raised by the convention\u2019s local host committee.<\/p>\n While it may seem difficult to understand why Democrats would return to Chicago, the number of cities that are a good fit for the party is limited because there are only a few cities with strong union backgrounds and enough hotel rooms to accommodate the thousands who attend.<\/p>\n Chicago also has made a bid to host the 2032 DNC, though it\u2019s unclear whether party officials would consider\u00a0a threepeat if the city is chosen for 2028.<\/p>\n Pritzker, a Hyatt Hotels heir whose fortune Forbes values at $4.3 billion, wouldn\u2019t specify how much he planned to contribute to a future Chicago convention, saying only that he would \u201cprobably contribute some amount \u2026 as I do always.\u201d<\/p>\n An ardent supporter of 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, Pritzker\u00a0gave $1.25 million to the host committee for that year\u2019s DNC in Philadelphia, making him the largest individual donor, according to federal campaign finance disclosures.<\/p>\n Pritzker said he hasn\u2019t committed\u00a0to covering any outstanding costs to shield\u00a0taxpayers from being left with the bill, but he expects local fundraising for a future convention to\u00a0at least break even, if not generate a surplus, as it did in 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n This week\u2019s visit\u00a0by national Democratic Party leaders included a\u00a0Monday preview of the Obama Presidential Center in Woodlawn, a Tuesday walk-through at the United Center, which served as the main site of the past two Chicago DNCs, and an architecture boat tour later on Wednesday.<\/p>\n During brief remarks at the Wednesday news conference, Martin called Chicago \u201ca remarkable city\u201d that \u201chas always spoken about the grit of America\u201d and embodied hardworking Midwestern values. As chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and head of the association of state party chairs, Martin played a key role in the 2024 DNC.<\/p>\n![\"Gov.](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/ctc-l-chicago-dnc-2028-27_262556476.jpg\")
Gov. JB Pritzker speaks during a press conference to highlight the bid to bring the 2028 Democratic National Convention back to Chicago at 875 North Michigan Avenue on May 13, 2026. (Eileen T. Meslar\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n