GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Presidential debate season is just around the corner. And could one of those debates be headed to Grand Rapids this election season?
At this point, it depends on whom you ask.
"I think in general, we're still sort of in the informal back and forth — somewhat of a negotiation about how many debates there will be," said Doug Koopman, a political science professor at Calvin University in the city.
Early Sunday morning, former President Donald Trump's Truth Social account issued a declaration: three debates, he said, would be held in September. The first, he said, would be on Fox News in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the second on ABC in Philadelphia, and the third on NBC here in Grand Rapids.
"I look forward to seeing Kamala at all three Debates!" the post read in part.
But Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign told 13 ON YOUR SIDE Sunday that no debates had been confirmed other than the Philadelphia debate at Independence Hall set for September 10 on ABC.
But one thing's for certain: it's hard to deny how pivotal West Michigan voters are set to be.
To elaborate, Koopman explained how he believes the overall state electorate falls into three general "pots."
"[One is] sort of loyal Trump voters, mostly in rural areas and small towns, outside of Detroit metro, outside of Grand Rapids metro," Koopman said. "Grand Rapids is a great place to activate energy for them for the Trump campaign."
"Another set of electorate is really in the cities," he continued. "Detroit area, Flint, part of Grand Rapids, Muskegon, etc., which is really a base constituency for the Harris campaign."
"The third piece of the electorate is sort of this cross-pressured electorate," Koopman said. "Maybe they used to be moderate Republicans or more moderate Democrats. A lot of those folks are in Grand Rapids, and in the Grand Rapids area. They're more moderate for a few reasons. They're old-time Gerry Ford Republicans, or they used to be pro-life Democrats. And so there's a lot of independent voters as well who would be close by."
As he alluded to in his explanation of the third "pot," Koopman said one place where all three likely come together is right here in the Grand Rapids area.
"Michigan and West Michigan are a microcosm, really, of all the constituencies are that are at stake in the election that the both campaigns are going after, and we're sort of in the middle," Koopman said. "We're a good location for that, the right size city, the right kind of facilities. It makes it a logical place to have a debate."
It's no secret that both campaigns have sought to treat the state as a top swing-state priority.
And while Biden himself did not travel to Grand Rapids' Kent County this year on the campaign trail, Trump and Harris both have - and no wonder why.
Kent County, home to former Republican President Gerald Ford, was once a reliable bastion for the GOP.
But in 2020, President Joe Biden became only the second Democratic presidential nominee to carry the county since Lyndon B. Johnson — only behind Barack Obama in 2008.
The win solidified the county's new reputation for many as a vital and heavily-populated swing county.
But when 13 ON YOUR SIDE reached out to a spokesperson for the city of Grand Rapids Monday, they said they had not heard any indication of the potential for an impending debate prior to the former president's post to social media - a post that was still on Trump's page as of Monday afternoon.
If talks do develop into any agreement to possibly come to Grand Rapids for a debate, it'd be the first time the city has ever hosted a presidential debate for the general election.