NBC News Will Focus on Kent County in 2020 Election Coverage

NBC News will be zeroing in five counties during the upcoming 2020 election, including Michigan's Kent County.

Wood TV 8 reports that NBC News political director Chuck Todd announced on "Meet The Press" Sunday morning that focusing on these five counties will give the network "a better idea of how the race for the White House is shaping up."

The special coverage will include NBC News having reporters on the ground in Kent County during big events like the State of the Union and focusing on local issues that could impact the presidential race.

Chuck Todd told Wood TV 8's Rick Albin,

“If you look at a place like Grand Rapids … the avatar is Gerald Ford, so for me that means the moderate Republican. Well, the moderate Republican right now seems to be flirting with Democrats."

Todd continues,

"You know, if we see Democrats carrying Kent, that will say a lot... Now Kent becomes even more interesting to me if Elizabeth Warren becomes the (Democratic) nominee because it’s that suburban voter in Kent County that, I think, while they don’t like President (Donald) Trump, might not be comfortable if Democrats pick somebody too far to the left, So it would even increase the relevance to me of the importance of Kent County depending on who the Democratic nominee is going forward.”

The other counties that will receive special coverage leading up to the 2020 election are  Milwaukee County, Wisconsin; Beaver County, Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh); Miami-Dade County, Florida; and Maricopa County, Arizona (Phoenix).