Long Beach will host California Democratic convention — and presidential hopefuls?

Long Beach will play host to the California Democratic Party convention this November, almost certainly attracting candidates campaigning for the state’s presidential primary that will take place a little more than 100 days later, the city said Tuesday.

Although the party hadn’t announced it yet, Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia tweeted excitedly about the agreement on Tuesday. Later, the scheduling of the event Nov. 15-17 at the Long Beach Convention Center was confirmed by a source knowledgeable about Democratic activities.

“We will be welcoming the @CA_Dem State Party Convention and State Delegates to Long Beach this November. The Party will be holding its endorsement convention in our convention center and hotels. It’s our first CA Dem State Convention,” Garcia wrote on Twitter.

“We expect thousands of delegates and numerous candidates running for President. I’m proud of our pitch to host and will be great for the local economy.”

The Democratic Party‘s spring convention is May 31 to June 2 in San Francisco.

At the November convention, California Democratic delegates will endorse candidates in primary elections for district offices. Although the state party makes no endorsement in presidential races, Democratic contenders are expected to visit the convention to seek activists’ support, mindful that the California primary looms more important than usual in 2020.

California switched its primary from its usual June date to March 3 in 2020, the day known as Super Tuesday because a dozen state primaries are scheduled.

Instead of an afterthought, as it often is in June, the California primary’s delegates will be the big prize in the fourth week of primaries and caucuses.

The field of more than a dozen top Democrats vying to challenge President Trump in the Nov. 3, 2020 election includes two Democratic elected officials from California, U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris and U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Dublin.

The Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center is in the downtown area. The facility’s website says $50 million was recently invested in “modernizing the design and functionality of our event space.”