As Georgia Democrats prepare to head to Chicago to celebrate Vice President Kamala Harris as their presidential nominee, some party leaders can’t help but think what could have been had Atlanta landed the four-day spectacle.

Atlanta was the runner-up in a fierce battle to land the Democratic National Convention, which would have given party leaders another chance to showcase one of the nation’s premier battleground states.

Instead, Chicago won the rights to host the political gala in one of the nation’s most solidly Democratic states after an all-out blitz by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a billionaire with likely presidential aspirations.

With Georgia again at the center of a campaign frenzy, senior Democrats are left to wonder about what if Atlanta had been picked as the place to formally cement Harris as the party’s nominee.

ExploreWhere would the Democratic Convention be held if the Democrats had picked Atlanta?

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“It would have been off the chart. It would have been like no other,” said Calvin Smyre, a veteran of 12 nominating conventions who was Georgia’s longest-serving state legislator until he retired in 2022.

“The election map highway to the presidency comes through Georgia,” he said, “and it would have been a doubleheader.”

Smyre, along with a dozen other Democratic officials interviewed about the upcoming convention, made clear they’re enthusiastic about the quadrennial gathering, which seems likely to feature hip-hop stars and A-list celebrities who have embraced Harris’ bid.

But they also still dream of a bash that would have unfolded in the ATL instead of the Windy City, one that featured rising Georgia stars and not Illinois politicos, one that highlighted the party’s inroads across the South rather than fortifying the Upper Midwest’s “blue wall.”

ExploreOPINION: The Windy City out-blowhards Atlanta

“It would have shown the country once again that Georgia is in play — and our eyes are on the prize,” said Chase Stell, a Fulton County activist who like Smyre is a delegate to next week’s convention.

But some are still stung by President Joe Biden’s April 2023 decision to pick Chicago over Atlanta after a lobbying campaign that played out in public and private for the better part of a year.

Atlanta’s bid centered on Georgia’s swing-state politics, with leaders summoning up gauzy memories of Biden’s narrow 2020 victory and the runoff wins weeks later by Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock that swung control of the U.S. Senate to Democrats.

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Also sharing the spotlight was the city’s civil rights history, something that the Choose Atlanta 2024 committee evoked with a slogan that puts a twist on the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis’ iconic mantra: “Make Good Trouble With Us.”

Atlanta boosters lined up commitments from donors and corporations that exceeded $20 million. But after Biden picked Chicago, some cited that city’s pro-union stance, its experience hosting conventions — and Pritzker’s promise to help bankroll an event that could cost more than $80 million.

Chicago also had other advantages, including making the case that it could bolster Democratic support in the Upper Midwest, since Democratic hopes hinge on Harris’ chances in Michigan, Wisconsin and nearby Pennsylvania.

‘Electricity’

Not all are lamenting the snub. In Milwaukee, a security cordon choked off vast parts of the city for the Republican National Convention, and fencing began sprouting around Chicago earlier this month.

Chicago officials are warning about the tightest security ever seen in the city, with large protests expected. Downtown offices have encouraged employees to work from home, and small business owners are worried about a drop-off in foot traffic. The city’s transportation infrastructure will be strained, too, with street closures already underway.

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Former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young was Atlanta’s mayor when the city last hosted the Democratic convention in 1988. He said in a recent interview that convention was a turning point for the city’s image. Now, he said, it would be something of a “risk” if Atlanta landed the event.

“Atlanta is not trying to gain anything now. We just need to be happy holding what we got. I never thought I’d seem like I’m anti-growth for Atlanta,” Young said as party officials mulled their options. “We are on the map. We don’t have to get our name on the map.”

And Atlanta got a taste of the political frenzy in June when CNN staged the momentous debate between Biden and former President Donald Trump at its Midtown studios.

Young’s successor, Andre Dickens, isn’t betraying any grievances over the process.

ExploreKESSLER: Chicago is the DNC’s kind of town. Mine, too

Dickens, who helped lead the city’s lobbying campaign, said whether he’s at home or in the Windy City he’s excited “to celebrate Vice President Harris’ historic nomination as we move on to victory in November.”

And Democratic state Rep. Shelly Hutchinson, another delegate, said she’s confident that Chicago will be remembered as a joyful palate cleanser after a Republican nomination party she said was full of “toxicity.”

“Sure, I wish it was in Atlanta. There’s so much energy here, and I’d love to capitalize on it,” said Hutchinson, who represents a slice of Gwinnett County. “But I recognize the undeniable electricity surrounding Vice President Harris, and I’m excited all the way around.”

ExploreLISTEN: Why Atlanta lost the race to host the 2024 DNC

Others couldn’t resist flashing optimism. After all, the lobbying campaign for the party’s next convention begins in earnest as soon as the balloons drop in Chicago on Aug. 22.

“There will be an opportunity in the future for Atlanta,” said Jim Powell, a Hiawassee Democrat who will be a delegate to his second nominating convention. “That’s because we Democrats have got to spread the love.”

Staff writer Riley Bunch contributed to this report.