(CNN) -- It's been a great week for Cleveland. On Monday, the Republican National Committee announced its intention to hold the 2016 GOP convention in Cleveland. Then on Friday, LeBron James said he was "coming home" to the Cavaliers. While sports analysts have universally praised the decision by "King James," political observers have not been as kind to the Republicans. The consensus is that the location of political conventions doesn't affect elections. To a degree, this conclusion is supported by the political science literature, particularly a 2004 study by Richard Powell at the University of Maine, which found that parties gained no significant electoral benefits in states where they held conventions.
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Paul Sracic: The selection of Cleveland to host the GOP convention makes a lot of sense
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Ohio has been a key state in presidential elections, and every little bit helps, he says
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Three counties -- Cuyahoga, Franklin, Hamilton -- will likely determine the next president
GOP
GOP
Moreover, the convention in Cleveland will be just the start of a major investment of time and money by the @placeholder in the Buckeye State.
Republicans
It is very difficult to construct a plausible winning 2016 electoral map for @placeholder that does not include Ohio.
Republicans
If, on election night in 2012, you began tabulating the vote in Ohio using these counties first, @placeholder would have been seen as starting out behind by 413,590 votes.
Republicans
It is not that @placeholder have to actually win in any of these counties to win Ohio (they lost two out of three in 2004).
Cleveland
Cleveland
Cleveland
The millions of dollars that will flow into the coffers of @placeholder and Cuyahoga County because of the convention will also not hurt.
Republicans
A convention in Cleveland will allow the Ohio GOP to remind Cuyahoga County voters, and urban voters throughout Ohio, that they once supported @placeholder.
Ohio
In the end, the analysts may be right and, despite holding their convention in Ohio, Republicans will still lose both @placeholder and the national election in 2016.