The decision to move up California's 2008 presidential primary by four months promises to make the most populous state in the U.S. something it has not been in decades _ a powerful player in picking candidates for the White House, according to The Associated Press. The state Legislature recently approved a bill moving the primary from June to February, and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to sign it as soon as next week. For years, California has been a place candidates visited mostly for money. But this time, candidates are already crisscrossing the state, jostling for media attention, endorsements and donations with an intensity not seen in a generation. The state's size _ 16 million voters _ along with the largest number of electoral votes makes it hard to ignore. In recent days, Republican candidate Rudy Giuliani shook hands in San Diego, former Democratic Senator John Edwards told Los Angeles students to «change America,» Republican Senator John McCain shared a stage with Schwarzenegger, and Democratic Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton talked clean energy with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. «In the past, California has only been the state where politicians come and pick your pockets,» Democratic contender and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson said during a recent visit. «Now, California issues like protecting the environment, growth, traffic, water will be important,» he said. But California's presumed new clout is not assured. By rescheduling the primary to Feb. 5, California joins what McCain strategist John Weaver calls an emerging «national primary» _ a day when as many as 19 states could hold presidential contests.
