Karthick Ramakrishnan (@karthickr) is professor of public policy at the University of California, Riverside and is the co-author, most recently, of "Framing Immigrants: News Coverage, Public Opinion, and Policy." The opinions expressed in this commentary are his. Read more opinion on CNN.

(CNN) Later this week, all eyes will be on Los Angeles as the Democrats hold their final primary debate of 2019. It would be a mistake, however, for the presidential candidates to simply fly in and out of town, perhaps adding a fundraiser or two before getting back to campaigning in Iowa or New Hampshire.

They should head instead into inland California, where millions of votes are stake, with dozens of delegates that could prove valuable in a crowded race to the nomination.

Karthick Ramakrishnan

California will play an outsized role in choosing the party's presidential nominee next year. The state has 495 delegates up for grabs, which is 10 times larger than the number of delegates from Iowa and counts for nearly 1 of every 9 total delegates. It is also an early-voting state in 2020. Mail-in ballots will be sent out on February 3, the same day as the Iowa caucuses, and if the 2018 primary is any indication, about two-thirds of California voters are likely to avail themselves of that option.

Democratic presidential candidates are certainly aware of the overall importance of California; according to the Sacramento Bee, they have made over 300 visits to the Golden State, although most of them have been fundraisers clustered in coastal California , mostly around Los Angeles, San Francisco and Silicon Valley.

These candidates would be well served by spending more time in inland California, including the population-rich areas of the Central Valley -- such as Sacramento, Fresno, and Stockton -- and the big cities of the Inland Empire, an area east of Los Angeles, including Riverside and San Bernardino counties.