UPCOMING PRIMARIES A look ahead to the five-week stretch of presidential primaries and caucuses through March 7, and the number of delegates at stake. Feb. 8 Delaware GOP primary: 12 Feb. 19 South Carolina GOP primary: 37 Feb. 22 Arizona GOP primary: 30 Michigan GOP primary: 58 Feb. 26 American Samoa GOP caucus: 4 Guam GOP caucus: 4 Virgin Islands GOP caucus: 4 Feb. 27 Puerto Rico GOP primary: 14 Feb. 29 North Dakota GOP caucus: 19 Virginia GOP primary: 56 Washington GOP primary: 12 (of 37) March 7 American Samoa Dem. caucus: 6 California Dem. primary: 434 California GOP primary: 162 Connecticut Dem. primary: 67 Connecticut GOP primary: 25 Georgia Dem. primary: 92 Georgia GOP primary: 54 Hawaii Dem. primary: 33 Idaho Dem. primary: 23 Maine Dem. primary: 32 Maine GOP primary: 14 Maryland Dem. primary: 92 Maryland GOP primary: 31 Massachusetts Dem. primary: 118 Massachusetts GOP primary: 37 Missouri Dem. primary: 92 Missouri GOP primary: 35 New York Dem. primary: 294 New York GOP primary: 101 North Dakota Dem. primary North Dakota Dem. primary: 22 Ohio Dem. primary: 170 Ohio GOP primary: 69 Rhode Island Dem. primary: 32 Rhode Island GOP primary: 14 Vermont Dem. primary: 22 Vermont GOP primary: 12 Washington Dem. caucus: 94 Washington GOP caucus: 25 (of 37)

Hours after the polls closed in New Hampshire, presidential candidates were warming up their jets for campaign swings to the state that sends the most primary to the nominating conventions and the most cash to candidates' coffers.

"The California primary is going to decide the Republican presidential nomination, no ifs, ands or buts about it," said Dan Schnur, communications director for the GOP primary winner in New Hampshire, Sen. John McCain. "The size of the state, the number of primary at stake and its place on the primary calendar make California the single most important decision-maker in the primary campaign."

More important than New Hampshire?

"A candidate can lose New Hampshire and come back," Schnur said. "But no matter how many candidates go into California, only one's coming out."

At stake in California: 434 Democratic primary, 162 Republican. The Republican primary is winner-take-all.

To capture the Democratic nomination, a candidate needs to win a total of 2,171 primary; for Republicans, it's 1,034.

California's presidential primary traditionally has been in June, diminishing its clout in the presidential selection process since by then, the nominations usually were sewn up.

All that changed when California moved its primary up to the earliest date allowed by the Democratic Party. Nearly a dozen other states followed suit, including New York and Ohio, diluting California's influence yet again.

Nevertheless, the impending swarm suggests the candidates have again set their sights on the nation's largest state, and are preparing to aggressively hunt here for votes, money and news media attention before the March 7 primary.

Vice President Al Gore was to touch down first, arriving in Los Angeles today for a town hall and Internet company tour. He flies out Thursday, then returns for the state Democratic Party convention in San Jose on Feb. 11-13.

Following Gore will be his rival, Bill Bradley, who arrives in San Francisco in the wee hours of Thursday for a rally. He, too, returns for the Democratic convention about a week later.

On the heels of Tuesday's victory in New Hampshire, McCain arrives for back-to-back fund-raisers in Los Angeles and San Francisco on Friday and Saturday. Then he addresses the GOP state convention near San Francisco.

Two of McCain's rivals, Steve Forbes and Alan Keyes, will also attend the convention.

The only major presidential candidate not scheduled to visit the state in coming days is Texas Gov. George W. Bush. His brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, will address the GOP convention on his behalf this weekend, and his father, the former president, will campaign in the state later this month.

Bush is currently focusing on primaries that come before California's, including Delaware, South Carolina and Arizona, said his California spokeswoman, Margita Thompson.

A Field Poll conducted last month found Bush leading McCain by 53 percent to 13 percent among California Republicans. Nevertheless, Thompson insisted, "We're going to run as hard in California as we are running in all 50 states."

Even before the candidates come courting personally, their surrogates were hard at work trying to stir interest in California.

On Tuesday, Gore's campaign convened a conference call of California political reporters to review the vice president's health care proposal, which he unveiled in Los Angeles five months ago.

Gore's top domestic policy adviser, Elaine Kamarck, offered a critique of Bradley's health proposal but provided no news of substance on Gore's.