DNC tours Boston as potential host site of 2028 Democratic National Convention

Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald on May 18, 2026

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BOSTON — Leaders with the Democratic National Committee visited the Hub Monday to tour the city as the potential site of the 2028 convention.

“From founding the nation’s first public school library and park to stewarding innovations ranging across lifesaving cures and cutting edge climate tech, Boston has advanced the common good for 250 years and counting,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “As we face critical elections this year and again in 2028, we need voters to know that the Democratic party is dedicated to that very same cause. We can and will build the democracy our founders fought for; democracy that works for working families, immigrants, labor unions, communities of color, young people, elders, and anyone and everyone who has a dream in this country.”

The mayor, Gov. Maura Healey, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll and members of the pitch committee Boston 2028 met with DNC Chair Ken Martin and members Monday, as the committee considered the city as a finalist for the 2028 Democratic National Convention. The Democrats spoke together at the Big Night Live venue next to TD Garden — a proposed site for the convention — in a press event following a tour Monday.

Boston was named one of the five finalist cities to host the 2028 DNC convention in March, along with Atlanta, Chicago, Denver and Philadelphia. The Commonwealth’s capital marked the last of the five to be toured Monday.

Boston last hosted the DNC convention in 2004, when John Kerry was the Democratic presidential nominee and then-Sen. Barack Obama delivered the keynote speech that gained him national attention.

“We are grateful to Boston for their interest in hosting this historic moment,” said DNC Chair Ken Martin. “Of course, hosting a national convention can be a great economic boon for any city, with close to 50,000 delegates, guests, and members of the press in attendance. The Democratic National Convention helps showcase its host city as a world-class destination.”

City and state representatives pitched the the Hub’s walkability, safety and cleanliness, as well as the infrastructure already in place shown by Boston’s hosting of FIFA World Cup matches, America 250 events, Tall Ships arrival and more this summer. Boston 2028 president Steve Kerrigan said with the central location of TD Garden, they expect visitors to experience a “seamless integration with the community and the city.”

“This is a place of enthusiasm,” Healey said. “It’s a place of strength, and I think it’s a place that will demonstrate the enthusiasm and strength of the Democratic Party as we show off the history, the culture, and the community that we have to offer here in the coming days.”

MassGOP Chair Amy Carnevale said they “welcome” the opportunity to contrast Massachusetts’s economic policies with those of states led by Republicans in a statement after the DNC tour.

“With 24% of Boston’s office space vacant and the cost of doing business 49th highest in the country, Massachusetts can’t afford to turn anyway any business, even from our Democrat friends,” Carnevale said.

Leadership from TD Garden, the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, the state AFL-CIO, and Meet Boston also spoke Monday, noting the resources ready for the DNC in 2028.

“Boston is the perfect location for this event, A), because it’s accessible, and B), because the hotel and hospitality community that is willing and able to host,” said Meet Boston President and CEO Martha Sheridan. “We have amazing product offerings here in the city of Boston. We’re a walkable city, we are a clean city, and we’re a diverse city. And that’s so important to this organization in particular, the DNC, as it’s really part of their core values to really lift up all community.”

AFL-CIO Massachusetts President Chrissy Lynch said union members across industries are “standing by, ready to make the 2028 convention a success, and boost our local economy at the same time.”

“We all agree on the importance of livable wages, health care, retirement security, safety and training, and a voice at work,” said Lynch. “These are common sense things that unite the labor movement and the Democratic Party, and that I think unite all Americans, regardless of their party affiliation. And we all want to see this party prioritize those issues, not just with words, but with action. And bringing this to Boston in 2028 makes those values tangible for working people here in Massachusetts.”

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