Democrats Fighting Democrats: Top-Two Primary Shakes Sacramento

image
Author: Chad Peace
Created: 13 May, 2013
Updated: 21 Nov, 2022
1 min read

Calbuzz covered much of the infighting going on in the California Democratic Party as a result of the new top-two primary. Only a short few months ago, the popular sentiment on California's political street was that "top-two primary didn't change anything."

The reason the media and the party consultants they talk to didn't think the top-two primary changed anything is because they speak the same binary code that measures every bill, every race, and every action in the capital by the letter next to the winners and losers. What top-two primary is doing, as the advocates and authors of the bill have said for a long time, is make representatives more responsive to the broader electorate, rather than the partisan base.

Are shades of blue and red beginning to appear?

In other words, the top-two primary introduced most competition; competition for votes of non party-loyalists. Naturally, this will upset those in positions of power that thrive on party loyalty.

We also know that we’ll see lots more of this kind of thing in the future — in both Democratic and Republican races — as the top-two primary system encourages moderate candidates with guts and gumption to take on left- and right-wingers in hopes of getting into a run-off election where independent and other-party voters can provide the margin of victory.

Read the rest of the article from Calbuzz, which includes a detailed and insightful analysis of how the competition of California's top-two primary is creating divide in some traditional camps, including Richard Bloom's narrow victory over Democratic favorite Betsy Butler and the surprisingly narrow victory of Marc Levine.

Latest articles

I voted stickers
In Oakland, Barbara Lee's RCV Strategy Seen as Critical to Mayoral Victory
In a dramatic shift following the April 15 special mayoral election in Oakland, former U.S. Representative Barbara Lee has been declared the winner, pulling into a commanding lead over former Councilmember Loren Taylor, as vote counting continues....
18 Apr, 2025
-
2 min read
Bernie Sanders
Sanders and AOC Wrap 'Fighting Oligarchy' Tour and Bernie Takes the Mic at Coachella
US Senator Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrapped up their Fighting Oligarchy Tour on April 16, after a five-day, seven-stop sweep through the West that drew nearly 150,000 people—capping it off with an unexpected appearance by Sanders at the Coachella music festival....
18 Apr, 2025
-
3 min read
AOC
Is Bernie Passing the Torch to AOC for the 2028 Presidential Election?
US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) continues to make waves in US politics. She is co-headlining rallies across the country with US Sen. Bernie Sanders as part of the "Fighting Oligarchy Tour," which has drawn large crowds even in GOP strongholds....
17 Apr, 2025
-
4 min read