Tired of being ignored by presidential candidates, California moves primary up to March

Voters in California.
(Image credit: David McNew/Getty Images)

California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed a bill on Wednesday moving the state's primary elections from June to March, in an attempt to get presidential candidates to spend time campaigning in the state.

The candidates often focus on smaller states that hold early primaries and caucuses, and now, they will "not be able to ignore the largest, most diverse state in the nation as they seek our country's highest office," Secretary of State Alex Padilla said. In 2016, the California presidential primary was held June 7, and in 2020, it's scheduled for March 3, most likely following the Iowa and Nevada caucuses and primaries in New Hampshire and South Carolina, the Los Angeles Times reports.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.