SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Assembly has voted to move the 2020 presidential primary to March to give the nation’s most populous state more influence in choosing nominees.

The bill approved Friday will now go to the state Senate where it’s expected to pass.

California’s 2016 primary fell in June after Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were already the presumptive nominees.

The new bill would move the contests to the Tuesday after the first Monday in March.

In the 2016 contest, that would have fallen on “Super Tuesday,” the first major day of nominating contests following early primaries in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.

California awards more delegates in the Democratic and Republican primaries than any other state. </s> California politicians have voted to move the 2020 presidential primary to March to give the US’s most populous state more influence in choosing nominees.

The bill approved early on Saturday will now go to Governor Jerry Brown for consideration. He has not said if he will sign it.

California’s 2016 primary fell in June after Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were already the presumptive nominees.

The new bill would move the contests to the Tuesday after the first Monday in March.

In the 2016 contest, that would have fallen on “Super Tuesday”, the first major day of nominating contests following early primaries in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.

California awards more delegates in the Democratic and Republican primaries than any other state. </s> SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Wednesday to move up California’s 2020 presidential primary in a bid to give the nation’s most populous state more sway in choosing the Republican and Democratic nominees.

Holding an earlier primary in California, which is expensive to campaign in, could shake up the nominating contests by giving an earlier edge to candidates with more money. The state is home to 11 media markets.

Elected officials and Democratic leaders said the bill gives California the spotlight it deserves given its record of pushing the national conversation around immigration and other issues.

“With all due respect to our brothers and sisters in Iowa and New Hampshire, California is the beating heart of the national resistance to Trump,” Eric Bauman, chairman of the California Democratic Party, said in a statement. “When it comes to deciding the Democratic nominee, our voices need to be heard early in the process.”

Iowa and New Hampshire will still have their early say.

The measure puts the state’s primary on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March, often known as “Super Tuesday,” when as many as a dozen states hold nominating contests. It will still fall after the earliest caucuses and primaries in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.

In 2016, California held its primary in June when Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump were already the major party nominees. California typically awards the most delegates.

The state moved its presidential primary to February in 2008, but the shift did not exert influence on the Democratic side. Clinton won the state’s primary, but Barack Obama went on to capture the party’s nomination.

The change also pushes California’s primary for state offices to March.

The Democratic and Republican national committees have not set rules for the 2020 contest yet. The parties set a calendar as well as how many delegates each state is awarded.

California received extra delegates for holding a late primary in 2016 and likewise could be punished in 2020 for moving up the election.

Copyright © 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed. </s> The Latest on a bill moving California's presidential primary to March (all times local):

California lawmakers have voted to move the 2020 presidential primary to March to give the nation's most populous state more influence in choosing nominees.

The bill approved early Saturday will now go to Gov. Jerry Brown for consideration. He has not said if he will sign it.

California's 2016 primary fell in June after Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were already the presumptive nominees.

The new bill would move the contests to the Tuesday after the first Monday in March.

In the 2016 contest, that would have fallen on "Super Tuesday," the first major day of nominating contests following early primaries in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.

California awards more delegates in the Democratic and Republican primaries than any other state.

The California Assembly has voted to move the 2020 presidential primary to March to give the nation's most populous state more influence in choosing nominees.

The bill approved Friday will now go to the state Senate where it's expected to pass.

California's 2016 primary fell in June after Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were already the presumptive nominees.

The new bill would move the contests to the Tuesday after the first Monday in March.

In the 2016 contest, that would have fallen on "Super Tuesday," the first major day of nominating contests following early primaries in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.

California awards more delegates in the Democratic and Republican primaries than any other state. </s> Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Wednesday to move up California's 2020 presidential primary in a bid to give the nation's most populous state more sway in choosing the Republican and Democratic nominees.

Holding an earlier primary in California, which is expensive to campaign in, could shake up the nominating contests by giving an earlier edge to candidates with more money. The state is home to 11 media markets.

The measure puts the state's primary on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March, often known as "Super Tuesday," when as many as a dozen states hold nominating contests. It will still fall after the earliest caucuses and primaries in Iowa and New Hampshire.

In 2016, California held its primary in June when Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump were already the major party nominees. California typically awards the most delegates.

The state moved its presidential primary to February in 2008, but the shift did not exert influence on the Democratic side. Clinton won the state's primary, but Barack Obama went on to capture the party's nomination.

The change also pushes California's primary for state offices to March.

The Democratic and Republican national committees have not set rules for the 2020 contest yet. The parties set a calendar as well as how many delegates each state is awarded.

California received extra delegates for holding a late primary in 2016 and likewise could be punished in 2020 for moving up the election. </s> The measure puts the state’s primary on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March, often known as “Super Tuesday,” when as many as a dozen states hold nominating contests. It will still fall after the earliest caucuses and primaries in Iowa and New Hampshire.

In 2016, California held its primary in June when Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump were already the major party nominees. California typically awards the most delegates.

The state moved its presidential primary to February in 2008, but the shift did not exert influence on the Democratic side. Clinton won the state’s primary, but Barack Obama went on to capture the party’s nomination.

The change also pushes California’s primary for state offices to March.

The Democratic and Republican national committees have not set rules for the 2020 contest yet. The parties set a calendar as well as how many delegates each state is awarded.

California received extra delegates for holding a late primary in 2016 and likewise could be punished in 2020 for moving up the election. </s> The California Assembly has voted to move the 2020 presidential primary to March to give the nation’s most populous state more influence in choosing nominees.

The bill approved Friday will now go to the state Senate where it’s expected to pass. Gov. Jerry Brown has not said whether he’ll sign it.

The bill would move the presidential primary to the Tuesday after the first Monday in March — three months earlier than the June contest held in 2016, when Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were already the presumptive nominees.

A March primary would likely fall on so-called “Super Tuesday,” when roughly a dozen states typically vote following the early primaries in Iowa, New Hampshire and several other states. – READ MORE </s> In an attempt to increase California’s influence over the country’s presidential primaries, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law Wednesday afternoon legislation that moves the state’s presidential primary date forward by several months.

This means that California’s next primary will be held on March 3, 2020, placing it fourth in the caucus and primary line after Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. Though California won’t be the only state voting on that date, because of its size, it will certainly be the most influential.

“We have a greater responsibility and a greater role to promote a different sort of agenda at the national level,” said state senator Ricardo Lara, one of the law’s authors, to the Los Angeles Times. “We need to have a greater influence at the national level.”

California’s last presidential primary was held on June 7, 2016, by which point then-candidate Donald Trump had already clinched enough delegates to secure the GOP nomination. The law, which had bipartisan support in the state legislature, is intended to make California less of an afterthought during the presidential primary process. Lawmakers hope moving the primary date forward will force candidates to actively campaign in California—instead of treating the state as a fundraising piggybank.

There’s also wide speculation that the bill could help some potential California candidates in the Democratic party’s 2020 primary, notably Senator Kamala Harris and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.

Moving the state’s primary forward means the state will lose 70 delegates at the next Democratic National Convention. In the past, the DNC has offered California a 70-delegate incentive to keep the notoriously difficult-to-campaign-in state from holding its primary until late in the nomination process. Even so, California will remain the heaviest state in the primary process.

“The Golden State will no longer be relegated to last place in the presidential nominating process,” California Secretary of State Alex Padilla said in a statement. “California’s primary will officially be in prime time. Candidates will not be able to ignore the largest, most diverse state in the nation as they seek our country’s highest office.” </s> LOS ANGELES — In a bid by California Democrats to exert greater influence over the next presidential nominating contest, Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday signed legislation moving the state’s 2020 primary election up three months to March.

An earlier primary in the nation’s most populous state could re-draw the shape of the 2020 campaign, forcing candidates to compete in a state that has long served as an afterthought in national elections.

California will now hold its presidential primary on March 3, 2020, just after nominating contests in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. Because of the prevalence of early voting in California, the move could see candidates trekking back and forth from the West Coast even before those first nominating contests.

“The Golden State will no longer be relegated to last place in the presidential nominating process,” California Secretary of State Alex Padilla said in a prepared statement. “California’s primary will officially be in prime time. Candidates will not be able to ignore the largest, most diverse state in the nation as they seek our country’s highest office.”

Padilla and other supporters of the bill said an earlier primary could focus national attention on significant issues in this heavily Democratic state, including climate change and immigration.

The early primary could also help two prospective presidential candidates from California — Sen. Kamala Harris and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.

California has held early presidential primaries before with little effect, including in 2008. The state’s distance from other states and the cost of advertising in its massive media markets make campaigning here difficult no matter when the primary is held.

But the Democratic field in 2020 appears wide open, and an early contest in California could provide an opening for candidates able to raise enough money to compete.
California moves its 2020 presidential primary to March 3, making it fifth in the nominating process after Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina. The 2016 primary was held on June 7.