As the Republican candidates gather for Wednesday’s debate in the Golden State, California, they are facing an unexpected reality: Donald Trump’s hold on the state has grown stronger than ever before. Long considered a lifeline for Trump’s rivals, California now seems like an unassailable fortress for the former president’s campaign.
Trump’s enduring popularity among millions of California Republicans, combined with new delegate rules implemented by his loyal supporters, has shifted the political landscape dramatically in his favor. This surge in Trump’s California stronghold is a wake-up call for the rest of the Republican field.
Few corners of the U.S. may be less hospitable to Donald Trump than California. But as the former president seeks to return to the White House, the liberal bastion may give him an unlikely boost. https://t.co/d7zVc06B8R
— NBC Bay Area (@nbcbayarea) September 26, 2023
Bill Essayli, a conservative Republican state assemblymember from Corona, a city in northwestern Riverside County, sums up the prevailing sentiment: “The grassroots across California is all behind Trump. He’s the guy that excites them and energizes them, and they think that he should have won in 2020. And they’re still behind him for 2024.”
For those who once hoped for an alternative to Trump within the Republican Party, this reality has been hard to accept. Some deep-pocketed establishment donors are frantically searching for another candidate, but as Essayli puts it, “The best you can say is they’re figuring it out. They thought it was gonna be [Ron] DeSantis, but he hasn’t manifested.”
Trump has opted not to participate in the Wednesday debate at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, choosing instead to address a party convention and engage with supporters across Southern California. His decision to skip the debate is telling, given his commanding position in the polls.
With Trump’s approval rating now above 50 percent in California, his dominance is evident. Rival candidates with any presence in the state have redirected their efforts to more competitive battlegrounds like Iowa, hoping to slow down Trump’s momentum before Super Tuesday. Despite the faint hopes of a few donors, the likelihood of derailing the ex-president’s campaign is slim.
Rather than being the battleground for a challenger like DeSantis, California is poised to host a coronation for the MAGA king’s third presidential nomination. If Trump maintains his substantial lead in the polls, he will secure all of California’s 169 delegates on Super Tuesday, solidifying his reign in a state that once nurtured the political careers of Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon.
In the political landscape of California, it’s clear that Trump’s influence is more significant than ever before, leaving his rivals with an uphill battle that may prove insurmountable.