1996 Democratic National Convention
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The 1996 Democratic National Convention was held at the
United Center The United Center is an indoor arena on the Near West Side, Chicago, Near West Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is home to the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL) ...
in
Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, from August 26 to August 29, 1996.
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
and
Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...
Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American former politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He previously served as ...
were nominated for reelection. It was the first national convention of either party to be held in Chicago since the
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of the 1968 Democratic convention, and until
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, was the most recent presidential convention held in the city by either major party.


Site selection

Chicago,
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,
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
,
New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
, New York, and
San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...
were originally considered as possible host cities. Los Angeles withdrew its bid after the
1994 Northridge earthquake The 1994 Northridge earthquake affected Greater Los Angeles, California, on January 17, 1994, at 04:30:55 PST. The epicenter of the moment 6.7 () blind thrust earthquake was beneath the San Fernando Valley. Lasting approximately 8 seconds ...
. Kansas City would also withdraw. On August 4, 1994, it was announced that Chicago had beaten out the other finalist, San Antonio, for the right to host the convention. This would mark the first time that Chicago hosted a major presidential year political convention since the violent
1968 Democratic National Convention The 1968 Democratic National Convention was held August 26–29 at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Earlier that year incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson had announced he would not seek reelection, thus making ...
, and the first time a political convention was held in the
United Center The United Center is an indoor arena on the Near West Side, Chicago, Near West Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is home to the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL) ...
, which had been recently completed. During the bidding for the convention, Chicago was seen as a frontrunner. One dynamic in Chicago's favor was that chairman of the Democratic National Committee David Wilhelm had strong connections to the city. Also seen as helpful to Chicago's odds was the goodwill that Chicago Mayor
Richard M. Daley Richard Michael Daley (born April 24, 1942) is an American politician who served as the 54th mayor of Chicago, Illinois, from 1989 to 2011. Daley was elected mayor in 1989 and was reelected five times until declining to run for a seventh ter ...
had earned with President Clinton by helping to lobby Chicago-area congressmen to support the
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. The fact that First Lady
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
was raised in the Chicago suburbs was seen as helpful. Bill Clinton's close relationship with Mayor Daley's brother
William M. Daley William Michael Daley (born August 9, 1948) is an American politician and former banker who served as the 24th White House Chief of Staff from January 2011 to January 2012 under President Barack Obama. Before this, he served as the 32nd U.S. ...
and Clinton's appreciation of Mayor Daley's endorsement of him during the
1992 Democratic Party presidential primaries From February 10 to June 9, 1992, voters of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party chose its nominee for President of the United States, president in the 1992 United States presidential election. Despite scandals and questions ab ...
were also seen as aiding Chicago's chances. Additionally, heading into 1996, Illinois was projected to be a key " battleground state". Of the bid cities, Chicago's proposed the largest funding package, proposing that its host committee would raise $32 million for the convention. This was the 25th major party convention to be held in Chicago. Chicago has held more major party conventions than any other city.


Bids


Preparations and logistics

Ahead of the convention, in order to project a positive image of the city, Mayor Daley dedicated a large amount funding towards planting new trees and decorative potted flowers throughout the West Loop area in which the convention would be held as well as in the city's downtown. The convention came at a time where changes and beautification were underway in the West Loop, including the repaving of roads, the addition of decorative planters, and the installation of ornate street lamps. The Madison Street overpass above the Kennedy Expressway was decorated with red white and blue stars. Greektown underwent a streetscape enhancement project. In the weeks ahead of the convention, a demolition project on five buildings of the Henry Horner Homes near the venue was completed. City officials claime that the timing of some of the enhancements to the West Loop was coincidental. Temporary decorations were also added, including stickers advertising the convention on 2,000 street signs. A temporary convention-oriented bus route was established between the United Center and locations in The Loop. Events related to the convention were held in venues throughout Chicago in order to showcase the city. Hundreds of events related to the convention were held. The convention introduced a new style four-screen speech prompting system for speakers consisting of two glass teleprompters, accompanied by an inset
lectern A lectern is a standing reading desk with a slanted top, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon. A lectern is usually attached to a stand or affixed to some other form of ...
monitor, and for the first time, a large under-camera confidence monitor.


Notable speakers

The convention's keynote speaker was
Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
Evan Bayh Birch Evans "Evan" Bayh III ( ; born December 26, 1955) is an American politician who served as the List of governors of Indiana, 46th governor of Indiana from 1989 to 1997 and as a United States Senate, United States senator representing Indi ...
of
Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
. The nomination speech was given by
Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...
Christopher Dodd of
Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
. Other notable speakers included former New York governor
Mario Cuomo Mario Matthew Cuomo ( , ; June 15, 1932 – January 1, 2015) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 52nd governor of New York for three terms, from 1983 to 1994. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ...
,
First Lady of the United States First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is a title typically held by the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never been Code of law, codified or offici ...
Hillary Rodham Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
, actor
Christopher Reeve Christopher D'Olier Reeve (September 25, 1952 – October 10, 2004) was an American actor, activist, director, and author. He amassed Christopher Reeve on stage and screen, several stage and screen credits in his 34-year career, including playin ...
, House Minority Leader
Dick Gephardt Richard Andrew Gephardt (; born January 31, 1941) is an American attorney, lobbyist, and politician who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 2005. A member of the Democratic Party, he was House majority lead ...
, Senate Minority Leader
Tom Daschle Thomas Andrew Daschle ( ; born December 9, 1947) is an American politician and lobbyist who represented South Dakota in the United States Senate from 1987 to 2005. A member of the Democratic Party, he led the Senate Democratic Caucus during the ...
, and other Senators Russ Feingold of
Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
, and
John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...
and
Ted Kennedy Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts who served as a member of the United States Senate from 1962 to his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic Party and ...
of
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
. With Clinton's wife, Hillary, speaking at the Democratic convention, and his opponent
Bob Dole Robert Joseph Dole (July 22, 1923 – December 5, 2021) was an American politician and attorney who represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996. He was the Party leaders of the United States Senate, Republican Leader of th ...
's wife
Elizabeth Dole Mary Elizabeth Alexander Dole (née Hanford; born July 29, 1936)Mary Ella Cathey Hanford, "Asbury and Hanford Families: Newly Discovered Genealogical Information" ''The Historical Trail'' 33 (1996), pp. 44–45, 49. is an American attorney, auth ...
having spoken at the Republican convention, 1996 became the year in which it became established practice that both major party candidates spouses speak at their party's convention.


Clinton's renomination speech

Clinton's speech on August 29 included his vision for the next decade, included tax cuts for the middle-class, 20 million more jobs, a strong defense with cuts in the military, but a strong presence of peacemaking troops, new military weapons and tanks, welfare reform goals for states and communities, and a peaceful transition for the Middle East.


Refusal of delegates to Lyndon LaRouche

Lyndon LaRouche Lyndon Hermyle LaRouche Jr. (September 8, 1922 – February 12, 2019) was an American political activist who founded the LaRouche movement and its main organization, the National Caucus of Labor Committees (NCLC). He was a prominent conspiracy ...
had run for president through multiple parties over multiple election cycles. In 1996, he ran for the nomination of the Democratic party, despite the Chair of the Democratic National Party ruling that Lyndon LaRouche "is not to be considered a qualified candidate for nomination of the Democratic Party for President" before the primaries began. In subsequent primaries LaRouche received enough votes in Louisiana and Virginia to get one delegate from each state. When the state parties refused to award the delegates, LaRouche sued in federal court, claiming a violation of the Voting Rights Act. After losing in the district court, the case was appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, which sustained the lower court.


Voting

Clinton was nominated unanimously for a second term and
Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...
Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American former politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He previously served as ...
by
voice vote In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "by live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by respondin ...
. The Balloting: Clinton and Gore went on to defeat Bob Dole and
Jack Kemp Jack French Kemp (July 13, 1935 – May 2, 2009) was an American politician, professional Gridiron football, football player, and U.S. Army veteran. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party from New York, he served a ...
in the November general election in an
Electoral College An electoral college is a body whose task is to elect a candidate to a particular office. It is mostly used in the political context for a constitutional body that appoints the head of state or government, and sometimes the upper parliament ...
landslide with a substantial popular vote margin.


Notable events

On August 28, Civil Rights Movement historian Randy Kryn and 10 others were arrested by the Federal Protective Service while doing a demonstration. In the middle of the convention, many of the delegates danced to the song " Macarena". Al Gore famously danced to the song while standing still. The original Broadway cast of '' Rent'' performed " Seasons of Love" at the end of the convention.
Taste of Chicago The Taste of Chicago (also known locally as The Taste) is the world's largest food festival, held in September in Chicago, Illinois in Grant Park. The event is also the largest festival in Chicago. Non-food-related events include live music on ...
, a group of restaurants who have an annual street festival, catered the press area.


Reception

Chicago's performance as a convention host city was regarded to have been successful.


See also

* 1996 Republican National Convention * Bill Clinton 1996 presidential campaign * 1996 Democratic Party presidential primaries *
1996 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 5, 1996. Incumbent Democratic Party (United States), Democratic President Bill Clinton and his running mate, incumbent Democratic Vice Presi ...
* History of the United States Democratic Party *
List of Democratic National Conventions This is a list of Democratic National Conventions. These conventions are the U.S. presidential nominating convention, presidential nominating conventions of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party of the United States of America. ...
*
United States presidential nominating convention A United States presidential nominating convention is a political convention held every four years in the United States by most of the political parties who will be fielding nominees in the upcoming U.S. presidential election. The formal purp ...


References


External links

*
Democratic Party Platform of 1996
at ''The American Presidency Project''
Clinton Nomination Acceptance Speech for President at DNC
(transcript) at ''The American Presidency Project''
Video of Clinton nomination acceptance speech for President at DNC (via YouTube)

Audio of Clinton nomination acceptance speech for President at DNC

Video of Gore nomination acceptance speech for Vice President at DNC (via YouTube)

Audio of Gore nomination acceptance speech for Vice President at DNC

Transcript of Gore nomination acceptance speech for Vice President at DNC

Video of Evan Bayh's Keynote Address at Democratic National Convention
{{Authority control
Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...
Democratic National Conventions Political conventions in Chicago 1996 in Chicago Democratic Party of Illinois Political events in Illinois
Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...
Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...
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