"Calif. Primary: Clinton Relies On Establishment, Obama On Indies"

NBC 11 (CA), with video:

With the California presidential primary just 27 days away, candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama are taking different paths to what they hope will be victory.

Clinton is relying on a list of the state's biggest political heavyweights, NBC11's Mike Luery reported.

Calif. Primary Just 27 Days AwayObama is trying to attract the youngest voters, and those who call themselves independent or even Republican.The Clinton campaign has spent months building a list of supporters entrenched in the state Democratic Party establishment.Fabian Nunez, the speaker of the California Assembly, is the national co-chair for Clinton's campaign.Dianne Feinstein, the senior U.S. senator, has officially backed Clinton.San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaragosa are backing her as well.Meanwhile, Obama has attracted standing-room-only crowds at large California venues, such as the Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, for much of the last year.Independents and college students have made up large portions of the crowds.He surged to victory on the backs of independent voters in Iowa.California independents can vote in the Democratic primary, which could be a big help to the senator from Illinois.What it all adds up to, Luery reported, is that for the first time in three decades, California is a prime-time player in presidential politics.In 1972, George McGovern won the California Democratic primary, allowing him to clinch the party nomination.California has not been kingmaker (or queenmaker) since then.For Obama and Clinton, the Golden State is critical."The fact that California is in play puts Hillary Clinton front and center of this election," said Nunez."I think that now we've moved the Feb. 5 primary up, I think it's going to be one of the key states," said Obama supporter James Shelby.All this is happening even as voters throughout the state mark their absentee ballots.On the Republican side, independents are barred from the GOP primary in California.Analysts said that could hurt John McCain, whose big win in New Hampshire came largely from independent voters."(Voters) may sit it out and wait for him and they could try to vote in the Democratic party and try to skew who they would like to see him run against," said Barbara O'Connor with the Institute for the Study of Politics and Media.O'Connor said the Republican rules will likely benefit Rudy Giuliani, who has a strong organization in California.

The candidates may all start arriving as soon as next week to get the votes and the big piles of California campaign cash that will be needed to get to the White House, Luery reported.

Barack Obama