June 15 (UPI) — The Democratic Party will hold its nominating convention earlier in 2020 than it has in decades, chairman Tom Perez announced Friday.
The Democratic National Committee said Friday the convention will be held July 13 to July 16, 2020.
The venue has not yet been selected, but potential host sites include Atlanta, Denver, Houston, New York City, San Francisco, Milwaukee, Miami and Birmingham, Ala.
As Democrats brace for a crowded and contentious presidential primary, the earlier date will allow the party more time for tensions to cool after a nominee is chosen, the chairman said.
Perez noted that putting the convention in mid-July ensures the nominating process will be the most open, fair, transparent and inclusive in the party’s history.
“That is exactly why the DNC has started this process early and before we have a full slate of candidates running for president,” he said. “This will not only allow for a unified party but will ensure that our nominee is in the strongest position to take on Donald Trump or whoever the Republican nominee may be.”
The convention will be held two weeks earlier than the 2016 event and just over a week before the 2020 Summer Olympics begin in Tokyo.
Conventions in 2012 and 2008 were held in September and August, respectively. The 2004 and 2016 conventions were held at the end of July. The last time the Democratic event was held so early was 1992, when the convention spanned over the same days, July 13-16.
The Republican Party has not yet set its convention date.
On Wednesday, a group of potential Democratic presidential candidates gathered in Washington, D.C., for a summit to discuss a spate of issues facing the party in the 2020 vote.
More than a thousand people attended the summit, titled “We the People” and featured five possible candidates — Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Kamala Harris of California and Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
