California has long been overlooked in the nomination process for the Democratic presidential candidate. The primaries were held there late in the season, the games were made well before. Voters saw the candidates gyrating, usually for fundraisers in Hollywood or Silicon Valley.
In 2016, the primary took place on June 7. It was won by Hillary Clinton ahead of Bernie Sanders (53% -46%) in near indifference, the ex-First Lady being assured of qualifying thanks to the support of the super-delegates. For the 2020 election, the Democrats in California wanted to weigh in on the selection process. In September 2017, the State Assembly adopted a text advancing the election by three months: the “Primary time law in prime time”.
It will be difficult to ignore California on March 3, although results are likely to fall well after prime time programs. The Golden State is the giant of Super Tuesday; 415 delegates must be designated, that is to say more than 30% of the total at stake that day (1,357). Experts expect participation from some 10 million voters (8.5 million in 2016). According to California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, who is responsible for organizing the polls, 40% of them have already returned their votes using the advance poll procedure.
Bernie Sanders in conquered territory
Bernie Sanders is in conquered territory. In such a progressive state (Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump by 4.2 million votes), the Vermont senator has an undeniable aura. In 2016, 79,000 people even voted for him in the presidential election, putting his name in the "independent" category, even though he abandoned his candidacy. The latest Public Policy Institute of California poll attributed 32% of the vote. He is followed by former Vice President Joe Biden (14%), Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren (13%) and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg (12%).
The candidate's message "Socialist" resonates particularly in a state where some of the largest fortunes in the world rub shoulders with a population strangled by the housing crisis, to the point that cities have started to open parking lots so that "Working poors", the working poor, can sleep in their car.
