Posted by Ron Nehring at 7:25 am on Jul 03, 2017 Comments Off on Top two primary makes recruiting GOP candidates tougher — and puts Lady Luck in charge
It sounded so nice. The top performing candidates, regardless of
party, would move past the primary to the general election. “The
people” would be empowered to choose the candidates they like best,
and the power of “party bosses” further diminished.
As we head into the 2018 elections in California, this quaint
idea is creating even bigger challenges for Republicans.
To recruit quality candidates, prospective contenders need to
believe they have a reasonable shot of at least making it to the
November ballot. In the past, November voters were guaranteed the
ability to choose among each party’s nominee. Now, there is no
assurance at all that at least one candidate from each party can
even make it past the primary.
This is due to the combined effects of the top two primary,
Republicans being the statewide minority party, and a dose of game
theory.
Let’s take a look at statewide offices, where last week San
Diego Republican Mayor Kevin Faulconer, who would far and away be
the strongest contender for governor, bowed out.
This point is key to understanding the statewide dynamic: For
most statewide offices, many voters never get to… Read More