Meet The Press: Kent County one of ‘The Deciders’ of 2024 election

SAINT CLAIR SHORES, Mich. (WOOD) — All eyes are once again on the key battleground state of Michigan as the 2024 election season gets underway. This morning on NBC News’ Meet the Press, it was announced that the network was once again focusing on voters in Kent County during the year in a segment called “The Deciders.”

Speaking to News 8 in suburban Detroit this week, moderator of Meet the Press Kristen Welker confirmed that NBC News will once again focus on voters in an area they look to as a barometer for the rest of the nation.

“Kent County will be one of the counties we will be focused on across the country. Our Shaquille Brewster will be spending a lot of time here staying in touch with the voters,” Welker said.

Kent County is one of seven communities across the country that NBC will focus on as the 2024 campaign gains momentum. Other communities included are in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Florida, Georgia and Arizona. Meet the Press first focused on Kent County in the 2020 election.

Welker says the outsize attention is in an effort to better understand the issues that will define the presidential campaign.

“Kent County went for Mitt Romney then Trump then Biden. This is a suburban county that’s a swing county. That tells us a lot about what those Romney/Trump/Biden voters are thinking,” she said.

Welker says Kent County reflects a vibrant mix of views, identities and beliefs.

“Are they energized to get out to vote or are some of them thinking about staying home?” Welker wondered. “That could give us real insight into how those independent more moderate voters vote in the general election.”

The veteran journalist also points to the state’s wide-open US Senate race as another contest that will see a lot of attention and money.

“I think there’s going to be a lot of focus on the next US Senate race here. If you look at the polls it leans Democrat but there are a lot of Republicans with big name recognition,” Welker said. “That makes this seat in Michigan all the more critical for Democrats.”

Look for reports to start on Meet the Press in the new year.

Meet the Press airs locally at 9 a.m. on Sundays on WOOD TV 8.

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