The winners and losers of the DNC convention floor map

CHICAGO – Someone had to get the best seats in the house.

And among more than 4,500 delegates who have gathered for the Democratic National Convention at Chicago’s United Center, there are plenty of state delegations - some from battleground states and others from Republican or Democratic strongholds - who may find themselves wishing for better views.

Here are some of the notable views we saw during our time on the convention floor Monday:

Front and center

California, Vice President Kamala Harris’s home state, got the prime spot, front and center, on the arena floor. Alongside California’s large delegation sits swing state Pennsylvania; President Joe Biden’s home state of Delaware; and vice-presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s home-state delegates.

Side-view swing states

Less fortunate were the delegations from the Midwest battleground states of Michigan and Wisconsin. Although they were close to the stage, those states arguably had the worst positioning, having been tucked into the corner behind the stage.

Obstructed views from the floor

Georgians and New Yorkers made the floor but may have to navigate a large blue camera platform that limits their view of the stage. The platform also blocks them from the opposite side of the arena.

Back of the house

Florida’s and Arizona’s delegations may need their binoculars, having been placed in the far reaches of the United Center. Indiana and New Mexico have a similar placement opposite Florida.

Steven Slugocki, a former party delegate and a onetime chair of the Maricopa County Democratic Party who is in Chicago, said the state’s positioning does not reflect the state’s electoral significance: “No one debates the importance of Arizona.”

Yolanda Bejarano, chair of the Arizona Democratic Party, noted in a written statement that this is the first time that delegates are attending a convention in person “as a fully fledged battleground.” The state’s 11 electoral votes are up for grabs in the fiercely competitive state.

“We’ve been building a winning coalition, electing Dems up and down the ticket since 2020, and I am confident that Arizona will be back in 2028 front and center as the state that delivered President Kamala Harris to the White House,” Bejarano said.

Florida’s delegation does have a solid view of the jumbotron.

Lynn Moira Dictor, who chairs the Seminole County Democratic Party, said she heard “some murmuring” about the Florida delegation being seated in the back of the auditorium. But she said the A-list speakers who came to the Florida delegation breakfast on Monday, including Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, made delegates feel less slighted.

“It was a very inspiring breakfast,” Dictor said. “Clearly, Florida is in play.”

Florida delegate Rand Hoch said the seating arrangement was understandable. It’s the result of Florida going from purple to red in recent years, he said. Hoch, who has attended eight Democratic national conventions, said the mood among Florida Democrats is gleeful, even if they’re sitting in the back rows.

“I was disappointed when I saw the map about where we were. But on the other hand, it is near the exit, so we can get out of there earlier.”