The real power of this is if you combine it with open primaries. If you're in a competitive district, ranked choice allows you to prefer a less traditional can

The real power of this is if you combine it with open primaries. If you're in a competitive district, ranked choice allows you to prefer a less traditional candidate with no penalty, instead of worrying that you'll give away the election. If you're not in a competitive district, open primaries mean that instead of voting for the candidate from the party you prefer (who is destined to lose no matter what), you can vote for whichever candidate you feel more comfortable with and have an impact. With both, the more primary seats you allow in your open primary, and given ranked choice voting, the more likely you are to elect a candidate who genuinely lies somewhere near the middle of the spectrum of the electorate, instead of lying at the extreme of whichever party is in the majority of the electorate.