Donald Trump will visit California following Republican change in presidential nominating rules
Former President Donald Trump will take his 2024 campaign to California after the state Republican Party changed its presidential nominating rules to his potential advantage.
The California GOP announced on Tuesday that Trump will address the state convention in Anaheim on Sept. 29 during a lunchtime keynote speech.
“As California Republicans prepare to play a major role in deciding who our Party’s 2024 presidential nominee will be, I look forward to President Trump speaking with our delegates about his plans to move our country forward,” said Jessica Millan Patterson, California GOP chairwoman, in a statement.
The state GOP made its announcement on the same day a federal grand jury returned a sealed indictment of Trump for his alleged interference in the 2020 presidential election. This marks the third criminal indictment for the former president.
Trump is also facing New York charges related to 2016 hush-money payments and federal charges related to classified document handling.
Trump’s visit comes after state Republicans changed their presidential nominating procedure during the weekend to give all of California’s 169 delegates to anyone who wins the March 5 primary with more than 50% of the vote.
If no candidate wins with 50% plus one, the delegates are divided based on their percentage of the primary vote.
Candidates need 1,234 delegates to win the Republican nomination, meaning the state could provide the primary winner with a sizable chunk of votes. Previously, the state GOP awarded presidential delegates based on which candidate won each of California’s 52 congressional districts.
A California boost for Trump?
The California GOP’s new nominating framework is expected to help Trump, who appears to be the state’s clear front-runner.
A Public Policy Institute of California poll from June showed Trump leading the current Republican field with 50% of likely GOP voters. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis trailed with 24%, and former Vice President Mike Pence was in third place with 10%.
An Emerson College poll from June also showed California voters favoring Trump. He led DeSantis and Pence among registered Republicans, with 53% preferring him as a presidential nominee.
The state GOP’s new nominating scheme may have prompted the rare West Coast visit from Trump, who came to deep blue California only a handful of times during his 2016 campaign and subsequent presidency.
Trump last visited the state in September 2020, when he met with Gov. Gavin Newsom and other officials at McClellan Park in Sacramento County for a wildfire briefing.
During his first presidential run, he rallied in June 2016 with 5,000 people at Sacramento International Airport.
The last time he came close to California was in October, when he appeared at a rally near South Lake Tahoe in Minden, Nevada, to support Republican candidates ahead of crucial midterm congressional elections.
This story was originally published August 1, 2023 at 2:52 PM with the headline "Donald Trump will visit California following Republican change in presidential nominating rules."