The California Republican Party has modified its rules, changing the Golden State’s presidential primary from a winner-take-all contest to one where most of the 173 available Republican delegates to the party’s national presidential nominating convention will be chosen by winner-take-all within congressional districts. The new rules were actually in effect for the first time during the 2004 California Republican presidential primary, but few folks noticed because President George W. Bush was the only significant GOP candidate on the ballot.

Keeping in mind from a previous discussion that there are three types of delegates – electoral (with two types within this category – congressional district and at-large), Republican Party leader, and bonus – it appears that California will have 159 Republican congressional delegates, 11 Republican at-large delegates, 3 Republican Party leader delegates, and 0 bonus delegates. The 3 Republican Party leader delegates – RNC committeeman, RNC committeewoman, and state Republican Party chairman – will be uncommitted delegates; the 11 at-large delegates will go to the Republican presidential candidate winning the most primary votes statewide; and the 3 delegates in each of the 53 congressional districts in California will go to the Republican presidential candidate winning the most primary votes within each of those congressional districts.

This relatively new California Republican primary system will clearly put an increased emphasis on grass-roots organizing, though the most efficient way to reach voters in the Golden State will remain through television and radio advertising. But it will obviously allow lower-tier Republican presidential candidates to cherry pick delegates in specific California congressional districts where the political terrain favors their ideology, even if they don’t have the resources to compete statewide.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to sign legislation soon moving the state’s 2008 presidential primary to February 5.