4 ms·

edit: was describing a jungle primary

• aidenn0 4y ago
  If that is what GP meant, then they used the wrong term. The term usually used is "Blanket Primary" or "Jungle Primary" (Jungle Primary is a specific type of blanket primary) for what you describe. An open primary allows people to vote regardless of party affiliation; the states which have these may not even ask you for party affiliation when you register to vote (Virginia, where I first voted does not, for example). It does make an aggregate difference because few people vote in primaries anyways, and even fewer will change their party affiliation every year, making raiding much harder.
• dragonwriter 4y ago
  That's a California-style jungle primary, not an open primary, and it's very dubious that it promotes centrism.
  • bsder 4y ago
    The California jungle primaries destroyed almost all of the right wing wingnuts in California. That's practically centrist by tautology. However, the more interesting cases are actually where there have been two Democratic candidates, and, yes, much to my irritation, it really does seem to promote "centrism". See: Harris vs Sanchez for US Senate, for example. Now, whether "centrism" is a good thing is up for debate as history shows that the centrist position is almost always the wrong position over the long run.
    • dragonwriter 4y ago
      > The California jungle primaries destroyed almost all of the right wing wingnuts in California No, they didn't. > However, the more interesting cases are actually where there have been two Democratic candidates, and, yes, much to my irritation, it really does seem to promote "centrism". Almost invariably, the candidate thar had the most institutional support (usually, a more centrist one) in the primary wins the general in that case, same as they likely would have in the prior system where the institutional support would have won them the party nomination. The difference is that they campaign against another (usually more leftist) Democrat in the general.
    • Gibbon1 4y ago
      California used to have actual moderate republicans. Yes even in the Bay Area. Over time those guys retired. The voters moved left a little. And the Republicans followed the national party moving way to the right. The result was the Republicans inability to field viable candidates against Democrats. The jungle primary was a response the loss of a viable opposition party. Got to say after Feinstein won against de Leon in 2018 I'm kinda done with hearing conservatives bitch about her.
• chrisseaton 4y ago
  > anybody can register for any party Presumably only if they'll have you? People often get ejected from political parties in the UK if they for some reason are being destructive (in someone's opinion.)
  • shkkmo 4y ago
    Not in Alaska, anyone can assert any affiliation in our primary: "If a candidate is registered as affiliated with a political party or group, it does not imply the candidate is nominated by, endorsed by, approved of, or associated with that particular party or group."
  • yucky 4y ago
    >Presumably only if they'll have you? Not in the US. Primaries are just the method that political parties use to determine who they should run in the actual election. You do not ever need party affiliation to vote in the actual election, but some state primaries are run in a manner that require you to register with the party if you want to vote in their primary. Primaries are typically held months in advance of the actual election.
• deleted 4y ago
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