California Really In Play On Super Tuesday - OC Register

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Now it matters.

We've heard before that California might be in play, could be in play, etc. in a presidential election.

A week from Tuesday, Californians could actually decide the nominees of both political parties.

Am I overstating it? Maybe. But judging by the activities of the candidates so far, they must think it's a possibility.

The California coordinators of the major presidential hopefuls all say they have established ground games, including phone banking to permanent absentees who have been voting for a couple of weeks now. They all noted that their candidates will be in the state at least once before the primary.

So far, political experts say, there hasn't been the all out blitz of campaigning a la New Hampshire, South Carolina or even Florida.

But with the Democrats out of South Carolina and the Republicans due out of Florida by Tuesday, attention will turn to the 24 contests next week.

It helps that the last debates before Super Duper Tuesday will be in California – the GOP's at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley on Wednesday and the Democratic one at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles on Thursday. That already brings the candidates into the state, gives them free media coverage in the expensive Los Angeles market and allows the state directors here to make a good case that their candidates stay and do a couple of campaign events.

In the past, conventional wisdom has said that because the media markets in California are so expensive and we're such a big state, candidates would do well to concentrate their money and time in smaller, less expensive states where they can get the best bang for their buck.

But the calculus is different this year. Why? Two numbers: 441 and 173. Those are the delegates at stake in the Democratic and Republican primaries.

The math associated with these primaries is, frankly, mind-numbing. I'll try and simplify it.

More: http://www.ocregister.com/news/california-delegates-district-1967516-state-republicans

Finally... a California Primary that matters!

:bounce::woohoo::bounce:

I used to live in CA, so I will be watching intently on Super Tuesday :toast:.

:shrug:

:hi:

So maybe it will be....especially after Obama's big boost in yesterday's election :-).

The undecided vote is enormous this time. Nobody can afford to take ANY primary for granted.

--p!