Bernie Sanders’ California state director Mark Ceraso has quit just 27 days before the primary that could be the Vermont senator’s last stand ahead of the Democratic National Convention.
The move comes after the Sanders campaign shifted the majority of its resources out west in an effort to win the majority of California’s 475 state delegates with the hopes of taking Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton to a contested convention in July.
But Ceraso reportedly disagreed with Sanders’ strategy to win California, advocating for more investments on field and digital organizing than on television ads, according to Politico.
Although California does not vote until June 7, its results will be crucial in determining how much influence Sanders has at the Democratic convention in Philadelphia. Clinton currently leads Sanders 51-41.3 percent in the state, according to an average of polls, but both candidates have been campaigning vigorously there.
Prior to working in California, Ceraso was Sanders’ deputy state director in New Hampshire and also helped lead teams in a series of states thtat voted in March. Robert Becker, Sanders’ Iowa state director and campaign aide, was also out helping lead the candidate’s California efforts and will remain there until after the primary.
