California may have the largest population in the entire union but the last time the votes of California primary voters counted was in 1964 as Barry Goldwater sought the GOP nomination. Normally the presumptive candidate has the required number of delegates committed before the Golden State vote but not this year, leaving all the candidates scrambling to grab a piece of that pie, reports the New York Times.

The 172 Republican delegates up for grabs in the state’s June 7 primary, which in most years has taken place well after the party’s presidential standard-bearer was known, will determine whether Donald J. Trump can clinch the nomination on the last day of voting and avoid having to wrangle uncommitted delegates at the national convention in July.

All three Republican presidential candidates, along with hundreds of reporters, turned up for the party’s state convention here over the weekend, the biggest show in memory of presidential candidate firepower at this yearly gathering.

While the state party is enjoying the spotlight, the plain fact of the matter is that California largely votes Democrat. The last time a Republican won statewide office was Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006. The last time California voted for a Republican in a general election was in 1988 when George H.W. Bush took on Michael Dukakis.