O’Rourke will spend four days in California

Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke of Texas will launch his 2020 California primary campaign Saturday with a fourday driving tour of the state.

The former El Paso congressman will stop at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College downtown for an outdoor rally at 4 p.m. Saturday.

On Sunday, O’Rourke is planning a town hall at the United Irish Cultural Center in San Francisco, followed by multiple stops in the Central Valley on Monday. He wraps up his visit Tuesday morning with another town hall in San Diego.

Notably absent from O’Rourke’s itinerary are the private Hollywood and Silicon Valley fundraisers that presidential candidates typically hold during visits to California. Spokesman Chris Evans said O’Rourke has held no fundraising events and has not yet scheduled any.

California’s March 3 primary on “Super Tuesday” will offer the biggest delegate prize of the Democratic campaign.

Sen. Kamala Harris of California is counting on her home state to propel her to the nomination, but the results of earlier contests in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina are sure to influence voters on the West Coast in unpredictable ways.

O’Rourke’s near-defeat of Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas last year made him a rising star in Democratic politics, but Pete Buttigieg, the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Ind., has emerged as the fresh new face in the race.

O’Rourke, 46, is facing about 20 rivals for the nomination.

Former Vice President Joe Biden is expected to join the race on Thursday.