SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — As California gears up for Super Tuesday, a notable shift is happening in the Republican race.
The state hasn't favored a Republican presidential candidate since the pre-internet era in 1989. Now, under a Republican National Convention required change, the California GOP is finding a new way to amplify its significance on Tuesday.
The party said that if a candidate surpasses 50% of the vote in the state, they will secure all 169 delegates – the highest delegate count among all states.
However, with only two Republican presidential candidates remaining when Californians cast their votes, the landscape is different. Despite winning in just one primary against former President Donald Trump, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley intends to stay in the race through Super Tuesday.
California Republican Party Chair Jessica Millan Patterson is not surprised that only two candidates are left for Californians to choose from.
"I think that's something that we've come to know is a possibility," she said. "Those early states really matter."
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In 2020, California moved its presidential primary from June to March, hoping to give California voters more influence.
"There's more Republicans in California than any other state in the nation. So it's great to have a say in who our nominee is," Patterson said.
If no candidate secures a majority, delegates will be distributed proportionately based on each candidate's share of the statewide vote. However, with only Trump and Haley remaining, this outcome seems likely.
"I think it was definitely a positive change." Patterson said. "I think hitting that 50% plus one threshold is something that's incredibly hard to do here in California and very few non-incumbents have ever done that in the history of the state."
Patterson said the format change also contributed to increased participation by presidential candidates at the California GOP convention last October.
