Skip to main content

The context you need, when you need it

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.

We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?

Join now

Pick up the phone! Donald Trump is calling.

Trump’s robocall signals the importance of the California Republican primary.

Joe Raedle / Getty

Donald Trump has begun making house calls.

The Republican presidential front-runner has begun robocalling independent voters in California, urging them to change their party affiliation in time to vote in the June 7 state GOP primary.

The message begins with a familiar appeal, if delivered a bit stiffly: “I need your help to make America great again!”

Trump briefly explains voting rules in California — namely, that those voters without a stated party preference are ineligible to vote in the Republican primary. The candidate instructs voters to go to his website for information about how to change their party affiliation by the May 23 deadline, so they can cast a Republican ballot.

“Time is short and every vote counts,” Trump urges, using his Trumpian sales voice. “I want your votes.”

The automated call is a sign of California’s importance in the nominating process.

For the first time in recent memory, votes cast in the California primary may determine the Republican nominee. Trump is betting heavily — spending as much as $20 million, Politico reports — in California and the other remaining state primaries to secure the nomination ahead of the Republican National Convention.

“If you’re Donald Trump and things go well between April and May, you can clinch the nomination with California,” said Jim Brulte, chairman of the California Republican Party. “If you’re not Donald Trump and things go okay for you, you can deny Donald Trump the nomination by doing well in California.”

Indeed, Trump and his two primary opponents, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, are scheduled to speak at the typically low-key California Republican Party convention, which begins Friday in the Bay Area.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

See More:

More in Technology

Technology
The case for AI realismThe case for AI realism
Technology

AI isn’t going to be the end of the world — no matter what this documentary sometimes argues.

By Shayna Korol
Politics
OpenAI’s oddly socialist, wildly hypocritical new economic agendaOpenAI’s oddly socialist, wildly hypocritical new economic agenda
Politics

The AI company released a set of highly progressive policy ideas. There’s just one small problem.

By Eric Levitz
Future Perfect
Human bodies aren’t ready to travel to Mars. Space medicine can help.Human bodies aren’t ready to travel to Mars. Space medicine can help.
Future Perfect

Protecting astronauts in space — and maybe even Mars — will help transform health on Earth.

By Shayna Korol
Podcasts
The importance of space toilets, explainedThe importance of space toilets, explained
Podcast
Podcasts

Houston, we have a plumbing problem.

By Peter Balonon-Rosen and Sean Rameswaram
Technology
What happened when they installed ChatGPT on a nuclear supercomputerWhat happened when they installed ChatGPT on a nuclear supercomputer
Technology

How they’re using AI at the lab that created the atom bomb.

By Joshua Keating
Future Perfect
Humanity’s return to the moon is a deeply religious missionHumanity’s return to the moon is a deeply religious mission
Future Perfect

Space barons like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk don’t seem religious. But their quest to colonize outer space is.

By Sigal Samuel