Bad news for nutter California Republicans! “Southern California Republican Party Vice Chair Jon Fleischman has dropped his push to change the California Republican Party bylaws to bar decline-to-state voters from casting a vote in the Republican primary,” according to the Sacramento Bee.
Fleischman has lost whatever political power he had now that he has been fingered as the guy who destroyed Assemblyman Mike Duvall. The result is that independents will be able to vote in the GOP primaries – and that is BAD news for Republicans like Van Tran.
Under the Schwarzenegger Open Primary initiative, which we will vote on in the Spring of 2010, there would be one primary in which all candidates for a given office (other than President) would run. The two candidates who garner the most votes in the primary, irrespective of party, would compete in a general election. It’s a system that puts Democracy before party dogma. Open primaries would force candidates to appeal to voters across the spectrum, rather than only those belonging to their party. The reform would produce more moderate, pragmatic candidates with a broader base of support, and would ultimately reduce wasteful gridlock in Sacramento by narrowing the ideological extremes. (Source: The Post Partisan)
Tran is running for the 47th Congressional District, where just over 44% of the voters in the 47th are Democrats. A bit over 33% are Republicans. The remaining 23% are independents, third party members and decline to state voters. You can see how a moderate Republican would likely prevail under such conditions over a whack job like Tran.
Fleischman is still threatening to do something about the open primary, but let’s face it, he is done politically. As Vice Chair of the CRP (California Republican Party) he has much to answer for with regard to his Duvall shenanigans…
“Fleischman … has been fingered as the guy who destroyed Assemblyman Mike Duvall.”
Baloney – the guy who destroyed Mike Duvall was, … Mike Duvall – duh!
PS: What hot lobbyist was spotted Friday night at the Angel game, sitting in Wiley Aiken’s season seats?
Locking out independents was intended to protect the GOP’s sorry lot of incumbents. I mean, really, don’t challengers face dismal enough prospects in the first place? Primary voters include a substantial number of blue-hairs who just look to see who got the endorsements of the other hacks.
How’s that working for you, GOP?
This is a good move by Jon and the CRP.
It’s a myth that the Schwarzenegger-Maldonado “top-two” system promotes moderates. Mostly it just helps incumbents. Washington state used that system for the first time in 2008. Out of 123 state legislative races, and 8 US House races, no incumbent lost in the primary except for one state legislator who had a scandal. The system simply makes it easier for incumbents to get re-elected.
Fleishman’s role in the Duvall matter was about getting revenge and nothing else. It’s all about him. As for his “leadership” in the GOP, no wonder the party is going down in flames. Duvall is a creep just like most of the others.
Art, this will actually hurt democracy. if this initiative passes the state and local central comittees of the major parties will begin to endorse pre primary – which is now a very rare occurence. party endorsements will be orchestrated by insider central committee members and once a party gives an endorsement then central committee funds will be spent to elect the endorsed candidiate. those of u who favor this idea havet thought through how this actually makes parties stronger. sorry to rain on ur ill concieved parade
When we had the completely open primary before I do not remember the parties endorsing candidates prior to the election.
The Democratic party rules would have to be changed to endorse prior to the primary anyway. This would take a super majority of delegates to the state convention to do, not a likely event.
Even if they did the State Party only endorses after the primaries anyway, because of the convention dates. You could free the local Committees to do so, but I cannot see it happening.
Cannot speak for the Republicans I have no idea how they do endorsements.