CRISSA NELSON | editor-in-chief
Feb. 5, Super Tuesday, is one of the most important days in the election race. California, along with 23 other states, will hold their primary elections, awarding important delegates for the winning candidates.
Each major political party with a candidate representation will officially nominate one candidate to represent the party at the national convention later this summer, an ultimate ticket to the head-to-head race for the finish line. In order for a candidate to receive the party nomination and a gain a huge advantage to winning the presidency, he or she must be nominated by a majority of delegates who pledge their support at the national convention. These nominations are determined by primary elections held in each state prior to the national convention.
Democratic candidates must receive 2,025 nominations out of 4,049, while the Republican candidates must receive 1,191 nominations out of 2,380 total delegates. The primary elections are essentially a race within party lines. Democrats against Democrats, Republicans against Republicans.
Currently the standings, estimated by the Associated Press, are: Republican candidate McCain leading with 93 delegates, Romney with 59 delegates, Huckabee with 40 delegates and Paul with 6 delegates after seven state Republican primary elections, and Democratic candidate Clinton leading with 249 delegates and Obama with 181 delegates after six state Democratic primary elections. Within the past week, Democrat John Edwards and Republican Rudy Giuliani have withdrawn from the race, leaving only these six runners to compete on Super Tuesday.
California will award 441 Democratic delegates and 173 Republican delegates, the largest number of delegates of any primary election. On Feb. 5, you have a say in who receives this huge advance in the race. 
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