CAGOP rules change undermines any reason for GOP presidential candidates to come here

Presidential primary elections are governed by a mix of state law and political party rules, and in 2024, changes to both may mean California voters have fewer opportunities to see Republican presidential candidates campaigning in their cities.

California has moved its 2024 primary to March 5, also known as “Super Tuesday,” when more than a dozen states hold their presidential primaries. California has the largest block of Republican delegates of any state, and therefore could play a role in determining the GOP nominee.

However, the state party was at risk of losing half its 169 delegates due to its delegate selection rules, which were not in compliance with the Republican National Committee’s rules for states holding their caucuses or primaries before March 15, 2024. For these “early primary” states, the national party requires the proportional allocation of delegates, based either on the statewide vote or the vote at the congressional district level.

The CAGOP’s existing rules allocated three delegates to the winner of each congressional district. This enabled candidates to campaign in one region of the state exclusively and potentially pick up delegates without incurring the expense of a statewide campaign.

No longer. The CAGOP’s executive committee recently adopted a change to the state party’s bylaws to comply with the RNC’s proportionality requirement, choosing to award delegates proportionate to a candidate’s statewide vote total. However, a candidate who receives at least 50% of the vote will receive all 169 delegates.

That helps the frontrunner and effectively sidelines underfunded rivals. Soon after the bylaw amendment was approved by the CAGOP executive committee, the party announced that former president Donald Trump will address the state party convention next month in Anaheim, later adding that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will also speak to the delegates.

Other GOP presidential candidates are likely to stay away from California, given the high cost of a statewide campaign here.

As usual, Californians who are hoping to meet a presidential candidate in a local coffee shop should plan a trip to Iowa or New Hampshire.