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# WATCH: CA Senator Steve Glazer on How to be Successful in Nonpartisan Primaries
- URL: https://ivn.us/watch-ca-senator-steve-glazer-successful-nonpartisan-primaries/
- Published: 2015-08-21T21:36:05.000Z
- Updated: 2026-06-22T19:51:10.000Z
- Author: Independent Voter Project
- Tags: News

http://youtu.be/u29SJjBF2Hk

Democratic state Senator [**Steve Glazer**](https://ivn.us/tag/steve-glazer) spoke at the [California Nonpartisan Primary Summit](https://ivn.us/2015/08/21/lawmakers-election-experts-talk-voting-rights-ca-nonpartisan-primary-summit/) on Wednesday. The event, hosted by the [**Independent Voter Project**](http://independentvoterproject.org/?ref=ivn.us) and **[California Forward](http://cafwd.org/?ref=ivn.us)**, focused on the impact of California's relatively new nonpartisan, top-two primary system.

Glazer shared his first-hand experience with nonpartisan primaries and how he managed to successfully endure negative attacks from his own party. He faced fellow Democrat Susan Bonilla in a special election to replace Mark DeSaulnier, who is now a member of Congress.

He reflected, "One of the things the top-two did for me is it gave me some room to define what it meant to me to be a Democrat. And the questions is - is my party going to continue to big a big tent where diversity of opinion is tolerated? Or is it going to be rejected?"

> "My definition of independent is someone who's there to represent people rather than party or power." - Sen. Steve Glazer