Dem, GOP convention picks show Midwest’s political influence

By WILL WEISSERT and SARA BURNETT
Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — Both Democrats and Republicans are zeroing in on the critical Midwestern region ahead of next year’s presidential election, with both parties choosing to hold their national conventions there. Republicans will hold their event in Milwaukee, while Democrats announced Tuesday that they would hold theirs in Chicago. It’s a reflection of the importance of the famed electoral “blue wall,” which Donald Trump broke up on his way to victory in 2016 and which led Joe Biden to the White House just four years later. Chicago is also heavily pro-union, demonstrating Biden’s commitment to organized labor. That bloc played a key role in helping him clinch the Democratic primary and presidency in 2020.