With just over 100 days until Super Tuesday, two candidates from massive delegate-rich states could be in danger of squandering any possible home court advantages that they might have held in a few months time.
As nearly a dozen Democratic presidential candidates turn their attention to California for the state party’s convention this weekend, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) and former HUD Secretary Julián Castro risk leaving hauls from California and Texas on the table if they don’t make it to the marquee event in March, according to interviews with Democrats in both states.
The two states, set to vote on March 3, more accurately represent the country’s diverse population than Iowa and New Hampshire, the first two early nominating contests. But each candidate faces an increasingly uncertain path to that day, when the largest number of states in the Democratic primary vote, because they are struggling with plummeting poll numbers, dealing with staff turmoil and departures, and have a top-tier where several contenders have been polling in double digits for months.