Following Hillary Clinton’s defeat of Bernie Sanders in California’s Democratic primary, further securing her party’s nomination, the question now becomes what happens to the political process itself, and the issues that matter to voters – especially California voters.

Even though California is the nation’s most populous state, with the most electoral votes, the state rarely sees Presidential candidates for more than a fundraiser or two during election season, as it is the last of the state primary battles.  But this year, for the first time in almost 50 years, California mattered.

Californians saw a daily diet of political ads from Presidential campaigns, freeway billboards, and earned media coverage of large-scale political rallies in their own state.  For a mostly apolitical state (with one of the lowest voter participation levels in the U.S.), a feeling that the state ‘suddenly matters’ is sparking plenty of political conversation where there has been little, or none, previously.

While California is regularly the place where public policy starts, its leadership on issues hasn’t often translated into pub-style political discussions (outside of Sacramento).  That’s changing this year, as Presidential candidates are now being asked to take a stand on Golden State issues, such as the $15 per hour minimum wage, the cost of living (a major California concern), further liberalization of marijuana laws, and other issues that are not frequently topics of discussion – but are becoming so now.

Why are these populist messages gaining such widespread interest, especially in California, where political discussions are so rare?  The answer is revealed, in part, in our California Trust research which showed that Californians are deeply skeptical of government, business, and the mainstream media – more so than in the rest of the U.S. or around the globe.  In fact, the longer someone has been in California, we found, the more skeptical they are.  Over half of those we surveyed said “politicians just talk and don’t get anything done.”  We also found there’s a very high level of insecurity about the future – and a lack of Trust in current leaders to get us there.

“We have to deal with this election, which is being fueled by the anger of people who feel left out and left behind,” Bill Clinton said during a recent Southern California rally.  With levels of cynicism and skepticism this high, populist messages are going to resonate with the California electorate.  This makes it even more challenging for communicators to get attention and engage California audiences.

But it can be done.  We know to increase reach – whether you are a politician or a CMO – you must earn the right to be socially-shared, show up strongly in search, and develop content curated by others.  We’re also finding locally-delivered messages and peer-to-peer communications (on social media or in other channels) can earn attention and break through.  The closer the message source is to “a person like me” or “a person near me”, the more likely you are to see good engagement with the message, in the form of social sharing, comments and original content.

As we now move into the political conventions and general election, it will be interesting to see if political candidates continue attracting the kinds of crowds Californians typically reserve for celebrities.

Steve Telliano is general manager, Edelman Sacramento.