(WXMI) — There's a chance Grand Rapids could be the host city for a presidential debate.
Sunday, former President Trump posted details on social media regarding three future debates.
It's not a sure thing, as the Harris-Walz campaign hasn't agreed to it, but it continues to place a spotlight that's been around a while on West Michigan.
Twenty-four years ago, Grand Rapids hosted its last election-year debate.
It was a Republican primary debate at Calvin University.
Doug Koopman, professor emeritus at Calvin University, talked to us about the magnitude of that kind of event.
"There were six or seven candidates up there," he says.
Why is Grand Rapids once again a possible debate destination? Koopman says West Michigan remains a focus of major campaign events for both sides of the ticket.
"Grand Rapids, honestly, it's a [sic] easy city to get into,” he says, adding the city just does stuff well.
“It's even easier now, and it's, you know… the airport's better, and getting downtown is easy,” Koopman explains.
It could come down to the politics of the area, trying to switch it from blue to red.
"There are reasons Trump might like it, and there are reasons that that Kamala Harris might want to do it," says Koopman.
The presidential race could come down to a set of key states.
"Michigan's sort of in the middle,” says Koopman. “It's Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin."
And there's a constituency base on both sides in West Michigan.
"That makes this a toss-up region and a toss-up place,” says Koopman, specifically when it comes to Grand Rapids. "It also makes sense to be in a city that has this sort of toss-up or undecided set of voters too, who are going to vote but they’re not exactly sure who they're going to vote for yet."
The debates Trump shared details for were Sept. 4 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, hosted by FOX News.
Another debate on Sept. 10 in Philadelphia will be hosted by ABC.
The final debate would, theoretically, be on Sept. 25 in Grand Rapids on NBC.
However, according to the Harris-Walz campaign, they have only agreed to the ABC debate.
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