Trump wins delegate-rich California GOP primary

Former President Trump won California’s Republican primary, according to a projection from Decision Desk HQ, notching a win in the Super Tuesday state with the biggest trove of delegates. 

Trump went into the state with a 50-plus point lead over rival Nikki Haley, according to averages from Decision Desk HQ/The Hill, and the win is yet another blow to the former president’s lone GOP challenger. 

California is reliably blue, and it isn’t expected to be in contention in the general election in November — but it boasts 169 delegates on the GOP side in the primary, lending Trump a boost as he races toward the Republican nomination. 

California is one of 15 states that held nominating contests on Super Tuesday, including Virginia, Colorado, Minnesota and Texas. A Republican contender needs to hit the so-called magic number of 1,215 delegates to win the nod. 

Also in the Golden State’s spotlight is the nonpartisan Senate race, where three Democratic lawmakers and a Republican contender are scrambling to emerge from the top-two primary system to get to a runoff in November. That contest will decide who fills the vacancy left by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) in the upper chamber. 

But heading into the race, California data was showing notably low turnout, with largely uncompetitive presidential primaries at the top of the ticket. 

However, on the Democratic side, which is led by President Biden, 495 delegates are up for grabs.