SACRAMENTO – Today, California Republican Party Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson released the following statement after the CAGOP Executive Committee voted overwhelmingly to pass a rules change that will codify delegate rules for next year’s California Republican Presidential Primary:

“Today’s vote by the CAGOP Executive Committee was a massive victory for California Republicans who are eager to have a say in deciding who our Party’s 2024 presidential nominee will be. 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 has the most Republican delegates of any state in the nation, and with an early March 5 primary, we have the opportunity to play a more significant role than we have in years in determining both our Party’s future and the future of our nation. 

“I am grateful to the many CAGOP delegates who engaged in our Party’s rules change process, provided insightful feedback and debated the merits of the change to make sure that our Party landed on the best solution for all California Republicans. Together, we will help the Republican Party select the candidate who can take back the White House and retire President Biden next November.” 

BACKGROUND

• The rules change (found here) passed by the CAGOP Executive Committee distributes the state’s 169 delegates proportionally amongst candidates at a statewide level, if no presidential candidate is able to secure a majority (50% +1) of the statewide vote total in the primary. 
• If a candidate secures a majority (50% +1) of the statewide vote total, that candidate will receive all 169 of California’s delegates.
• The CAGOP’s bylaws that governed the 2024 primary process before today’s vote were not in compliance with the Republican National Committee’s rules, so a rules change was created that complied with their rules. If the CAGOP had not complied, California Republicans would have lost half of its delegates. 
• The Executive Committee took up the rules change today after it overwhelmingly passed through the delegates on the CAGOP Rules Committee last Saturday. 
• The Executive Committee is a body of 100 CAGOP delegates, selected to be representatives of the greater body of CAGOP delegates. The Executive Committee has a history of tackling weighty issues like urgent rules changes.