California Secretary of State Alex Padilla moved Tuesday to the forefront of a recurring effort to give statewide voters more influence in the presidential primary. Padilla, a Democrat from Los Angeles who is widely seen as a potential candidate for U.S. Senate, said he wants the state’s June 2020 presidential primary moved up to at least the third Tuesday in March, immediately behind Iowa and New Hampshire. Padilla is supporting state legislation, Senate Bill 568 by Sen. Ricardo Lara, that also would authorize the governor to bump up the primary even earlier if other states move up their primary elections.
“A state as populous and diverse as California should not be an afterthought,” Padilla said Tuesday. “By holding our primary earlier, we will ensure that issues important to Californians are prioritized by presidential candidates from all political parties.”
California, where Hillary Clinton crushed Donald Trump by about 4.3 million votes in the general election, was essentially irrelevant in the June primary. While Sen. Bernie Sanders made a play with a series of rallies, Clinton won the state after the Associated Press said she had secured enough national delegates to win a day before polls even closed here.
Padilla’s entry into the debate gives him another platform in the state’s protracted standoff with the federal government.
Full Article: California election chief wants primary election right after Iowa, New Hampshire | The Sacramento Bee.