(The Center Square) – The California Republican Party announced recently indicted former president Donald Trump would be its headline speaker at its semi-annual convention in Anaheim at the end of September. This announcement accompanied rules changes that would grant the state’s entire Republican primary delegate count, the largest in the country, to the candidate that wins the majority of the state’s primary vote.
President Trump has not been present for the state’s Republican convention since 2016, when he first ran for president. The convention, scheduled to run from September 29 to October 1, will also feature Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as a headline speaker.
The speaker announcements follow a rule change that pits supporters of Trump against alternative candidates. Under new bylaws required by the Republican National Committee (RNC), any presidential primary candidate who receives the majority of the state’s primary vote must receive the entirety of the state’s primary delegates. This situation is extremely advantageous to a candidate with a strong lead such as Trump, who, according to an August 1 poll from Morning Consult, holds the support of 58% of Republican primary voters.
“With this rules change that now puts us in compliance with RNC rules, Republican presidential candidates will not only be encouraged to spend real time campaigning in our state and making their case to voters, but Republican voters will equally be encouraged to turn out to support their chosen candidate to help them win delegates,” California GOP Chair Jessica Patterson said in a statement.
Had the California Republican Party not made the rules change, it would have been stripped of half of its delegates at the Republican National Convention that nominates the party’s 2024 presidential candidate.
