What does Chicago represent for the Democratic National Convention?

On Monday, the Democratic National Convention is returning to a familiar location: Chicago, Illinois.

No other city in the United States has hosted as many presidential conventions. Chicago holds the record, having welcomed 26: Fourteen of the conventions were Republican, and the other 12 — including this year’s — have been Democratic.

But the city holds special significance for the Democrats, as a party stronghold for much of the last century.

Since 1931, only Democrats have presided as mayor there. And the city sits in the solidly blue Midwestern state of Illinois, which last voted for a Republican presidential candidate in 1988.

Still, experts and strategists say Chicago — the country’s third-largest city — is also symbolic of the hurdles the party faces, as it looks ahead to election day.

Chicago “is a real microcosm for the American experience”, said Meredith Shiner, a politics reporter and communications strategist based in the city.

“I think it also can symbolise some of the challenges that need to be conquered in order for the country to really realise its full potential.”