Despite red reputation, Kent County has emerged as key election battleground in Michigan

GRAND RAPIDS — At the start of the year, a small section of downtown Grand Rapids was garnished with signs labeled “FORD 50,” a nod to the 50^th anniversary of Gerald R. Ford being sworn in as president after the Watergate scandal led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation in 1974. 

Ford grew up in Grand Rapids, Kent County's largest city. For people living in the area, it's hard not to notice the bevy of signs, heraldry and even a museum donned with the 38th president's name.

While Kent County has carried a historical reputation for producing Republican politicos like Ford, Peter Secchia, Arthur Vandenberg, the powerful DeVos family and Peter Meijer, in recent years, the west Michigan county has been competitive, voting for the Democratic candidate at the top of the ticket in general elections since 2018. 

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