Editor’s note: The presidential nominating contests in both parties will come down to the California primary.
For Democrats, 548 delegates are at stake — 11.5% of the total. For Republicans, 172 delegates are at stage — 6.9% of the total. Of those, for Democrats, 158 (29%) are divided proportionally on a statewide basis, while 317 (58%) are divided proportionally by congressional district, with each district providing between 5 and 8 delegates. The remaining 73 (13%) are “superdelegates.”
For Republicans, 13 (8%) are awarded statewide, with ten going to the candidate with the highest number of votes on a winner-take-all basis, and three going to “pre-determined” delegates (the State Chair, National Committeewoman, National Committeeman). Meanwhile, 159 (92%) are awarded by congressional district on a winner-take-all basis, with each district providing 3 delegates.
The result: a district-by-district battle in both parties, which we preview for you here.
CA-36: This Riverside County district is President Barack Obama’s favorite part of California: he returns to the Palm Spring area to golf, often. It is also a swing district: rated R+1 by the Cook Report, it has moderate Democrat Raul Ruiz as its congressman. (He defeated Mary Bono Mack in 2012.) This is also the scene of Andrew Breitbart’s famous film-on-rollerblades, capturing Code Pink activists on camera before inviting them to eat at Applebee’s.
Prospects:
Democrats: This is moderate, Clinton country, despite the occasional invasion by Medea Benjamin and the far-left.
Clinton 3, Sanders 2
Republicans: This is the kind of district where Republicans know their vote matters. Cruz will win narrowly.
Cruz 3, Trump 0, Kasich 0
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. His new e-book, Leadership Secrets of the Kings and Prophets: What the Bible’s Struggles Teach Us About Today, is on sale through Amazon Kindle Direct. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.