Atlanta mayor blasts DNC for ‘abandoning’ Black voters, the South: ‘Taken for granted’

Atlanta’s Democratic Mayor Andre Dickens launched a scathing attack on the Democratic National Committee’s leadership Thursday, accusing party leaders of turning their backs on Black voters and the South after the DNC excluded the city from its shortlist to host the 2028 presidential convention. 

“The DNC continues to make the wrong choices,” Dickens wrote in a scathing letter obtained by Fox News Digital, singling out DNC Chairman Ken Martin after party officials narrowed their convention search to Boston, Denver and Philadelphia.

Dickens’ rebuke echoes an argument other Southern Democrats have pressed on the national party in recent months: that Democrats cannot afford to take the South — and particularly its Black voters — for granted heading into 2028. South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Christale Spain declared last month, amid debate over the party’s presidential primary calendar, that “the South is not the past, it is the future,” while Democratic chairs from five other Southern states previously warned the DNC against sending Black voters the message that their loyalty is “taken for granted.”

“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,” Dickens wrote in his letter. “Atlanta has not hosted a convention in nearly 40 years. 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.”

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The DNC declined to comment specifically on Dickens’ letter when reached by Fox News, but pointed to the party’s broader efforts in the South and provided a statement from Martin about the convention selection process.

“The 2028 Democratic National Convention will be an inspiring celebration of our party’s future nominee, and a critical step on Democrats’ path towards retaking the White House,” Martin said. “Boston, Denver, and Philadelphia all presented incredibly strong bids to host the convention, and we look forward to continuing to work with them as the DNC makes a final selection in the coming months.”

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DNC chair Ken Martin makes a speech during the press conference for the DNC site visit at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on Wednesday, May 6, 2026.  (Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)

The party also pointed to its recent decision to place South Carolina first on its 2028 presidential nominating calendar. The full DNC voted last week to begin the six-state early window in South Carolina on Jan. 22, 2028, with Virginia closing out the slate. In announcing the calendar, the DNC emphasized its racial diversity and cited Census data showing roughly 4.6 million Black people live across the six early states.

Meanwhile, the DNC announced Thursday that Boston, Denver and Philadelphia had advanced as the three remaining contenders to host the Aug. 7-10, 2028 convention, eliminating Atlanta and Chicago from a five-city field. The Democratic National Convention Committee will now undertake a contracts and logistics review of the three finalists, with the process expected to continue for several months before a final selection is made.

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A DNC official said factors considered during the site visits and selection process included the ability to forge partnerships with local community, political and business leaders; operational and logistical capacity such as arena size and hotel availability; fundraising capability; and whether a city shares Democratic values.

DNC leadership and representatives of the party’s Technical Advisory Group visited Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver and Philadelphia in April and May after the five cities advanced from the initial application process. Atlanta had aggressively pitched itself as both a capable convention city and a strategically important Democratic foothold in the South. DNC officials toured State Farm Arena and the Georgia World Congress Center during an April visit to the city. Atlanta, which also lost out to Chicago for the 2024 convention, has not hosted the Democratic gathering since 1988.

A general view of the United Center, on Day one of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., August 19, 2024. (REUTERS/Cheney Orr)

“At a time when Trump and the Supreme Court are minimizing Black electoral power we need a party that would come to Atlanta and galvanize the Southeast for 2028 and beyond. Real leaders produce for the present and the future,” Martin continued in his letter. 

“This was an opportunity for Ken Martin and the DNC leadership to show they have a thoughtful plan for the party and know how to win the White House in 2028. But instead they are running scared and retreat to their safe spaces. I’m ready for Democratic leadership that understands what every Democratic voter already knows: that this is a moment that demands we run toward battles and into the fight.”