(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.
@highlight
Paul Sracic: The selection of Cleveland to host the GOP convention makes a lot of sense
@highlight
Ohio has been a key state in presidential elections, and every little bit helps, he says
@highlight
Three counties -- Cuyahoga, Franklin, Hamilton -- will likely determine the next president
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).
A convention in Cleveland will allow the Ohio GOP to remind Cuyahoga County voters, and urban voters throughout Ohio, that they once supported @placeholder.