Atlanta mayor blasts DNC for hosting 2028 convention outside of the South: 'Abandoning black voters'

Democratic Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens blasted his party Thursday for not including a Southern city in its list of potential places to host the 2028 presidential convention, accusing it of turning its back on black voters.

The Democratic National Committee announced its three finalists earlier Thursday, which consists of Boston, Denver and Philadelphia. Atlanta did make the final five, but was eliminated alongside Chicago.

"The DNC continues to make the wrong choices," Dickens wrote in a scathing letter obtained by Fox News. "They are afraid to leave their comfort zone and blind to the fact that the South is the answer. They are abandoning Atlanta, abandoning the South, and once again abandoning Black voters.

"Atlanta has not hosted a convention in nearly 40 years," he continued. "One party has chosen the South to host their convention, and the other has chosen the same region over and over again. This isn’t by accident. It’s an intentional choice."

Dickens' statement echoes warnings from other Southern Democratic leaders, including South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Christale Spain, who warned last month that "the South is not the past, it is the future."

The DNC has not commented on Dickens' criticism, but highlighted the party's efforts to reach voters in the South, including by making South Carolina the first state to hold primaries in 2028.

DNC Chairman Ken Martin claimed the three finalists made "incredibly strong bids" for the convention.

The Democratic convention is expected to take place Aug. 7-10, 2028. A final selection on the location is expected to be made in the coming months.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.