{"id":2597476,"date":"2026-05-01T06:19:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T10:19:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/californias-jungle-primary-faces-rising-bipartisan-backlash\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T06:23:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T10:23:08","slug":"californias-jungle-primary-faces-rising-bipartisan-backlash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/californias-jungle-primary-faces-rising-bipartisan-backlash\/","title":{"rendered":"California\u2019s \u2018jungle\u2019 primary faces rising bipartisan backlash"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcalifornias-jungle-primary-faces-rising-bipartisan-backlash%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2597476&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>california Democrats and Republicans are increasingly pushing to end the state\u2019s \u201ctop-two\u201d (or \u201cjungle\u201d) primary, arguing that the system can produce outcomes that are harmful to both parties-especially in a highly fragmented race for governor.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Robert garcia (D-CA) says the rule \u201chas not worked out as intended\u201d and should be replaced with \u201creal primaries.\u201d Under top-two,the two <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ca-democratic-party-chairman-tells-trailing-gubernatorial-candidates-to-drop\/\" title=\"CA Democratic ... chairman tells trailing ... to drop\">highest vote-getters advance<\/a> to the general election nonetheless of party. Democrats say this has sometimes sidelined ideologically \u201cpure\u201d or grassroots-backed candidates and instead rewards name recognition, wealthy donors, and moderate-sounding candidates whose views may shift later.Republicans argue top-two disadvantages them in a deep-blue state because it can keep GOP contenders out of the general election.<\/p>\n<p>The concerns intensified this year as California\u2019s open gubernatorial contest featured no clear Democratic front-runner, creating a real chance that multiple Republicans could place high enough to complicate-or even eliminate-Democrats\u2019 path to the general election. Even as one potential factor (the collapse of Rep. Eric Swalwell\u2019s candidacy) eased Democratic panic somewhat, uncertainty remains with candidates such as Xavier Becerra, Tom Steyer, and Katie Porter.<\/p>\n<p>Supporters of top-two say it can help give more voters and parties a meaningful seat in competitive districts and may allow cases like two Democrats advancing in heavily Democratic areas. But opponents argue the system often intensifies intra-party competition and vote-splitting, perhaps allowing the minority party to benefit.<\/p>\n<p>Reformers are divided on what should replace it. Options discussed include ranked-choice voting (to avoid vote-splitting), open primaries with party nominations, or other structures that aim to treat voters more evenly while preserving broader choice. Still, undoing top-two is viewed as arduous because it would likely require major funding and sustained voter demand to change the rules.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p>Amid months of concerns by <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/california\/\">California<\/a> Democrats that their party\u2019s gubernatorial candidates could get locked out of a chance to lead the nation\u2019s dominant blue state, some leaders want to change a Golden State election rule that is making such an unlikely scenario possible.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/4549816\/left-wing-political-violence-problem\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>America\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/king-charles-iii-visits-us-as-starmer-weakens-the-special-relationship\/\" title=\"King Charles III visits US as Starmer weakens the special relationship\">left-wing political violence problem<\/a> cannot be met with denial<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/videos\/4537693\/inside-scoop-jim-antle-un-reparations-drinking-america-in-space\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Inside Scoop: UN calls for reparations, drinking at all time low, what\u2019s next for America in space<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/videos\/4511488\/inside-scoop-jim-antle-democrat-president-gop-2028-dc-crime-cover-up\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Inside Scoop: Democratic Party problems, GOP road to 2028, and DC crime cover-up<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4514081\/house-republicans-pam-bondi-successor-justice-epstein-victims\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"4514081\">Rep. Robert Garcia<\/a> (D-CA), a major Democratic antagonist of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">President Donald Trump<\/a>, wants to abolish California\u2019s \u201ctop-two,\u201d or \u201cjungle,\u201d primary. Garcia, the top House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Democrat, is linking up with Republicans to scrap it in a rare bipartisan push, even though for starkly different reasons.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn 2028, Californians should get rid of the jungle primary,\u201d Garcia said in an <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RobertGarcia\/status\/2045282228759122321\">April 17 X post<\/a>. \u201cIt has not worked out as intended, and it\u2019s time to get back to real primaries.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>In the top-two election system, the best-performing primary vote-getters advance to the general election, regardless of party. For California Democrats, it\u2019s caused heartburn this spring ahead of the June 2 primary. For months, it seemed two Republican candidates, former Fox News host Steve Hilton, and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, could nab the top two spots in the open California governor\u2019s race.<\/p>\n<p>That would have been a major embarrassment in a state where Democrats dominate, and many consider themselves a tip-of-the-spear of the \u201cResistance\u201d movement against Trump in his second term. Democrats hold all statewide offices and dominate California\u2019s congressional delegation and legislature.<\/p>\n<p>Democratic top-two lockout worries have receded somewhat since former Rep. Eric Swalwell\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >political career imploded amid sexual assault allegations<\/a> by multiple women, all of which he denies. Swalwell led the all-party pack, or ran about even with Republicans Hilton and Bianco, in some polls.<\/p>\n<p>With Swalwell gone, the race\u2019s tentative leader is Xavier Becerra, a Democratic congressman who represented the area around Downtown Los Angeles for 24 years. Becerra was also California\u2019s attorney general and Health and Human Services secretary in former President Joe Biden\u2019s administration.<\/p>\n<p>But Becerra is hardly a lock, with rival Democrats slamming his record over the primary fight\u2019s final months. Among them are billionaire hedge fund manager Tom Steyer and former Rep. Katie Porter, a doyenne of the populist left and protegee of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).<\/p>\n<p>California Republicans were never big fans of the top-two election system, and it\u2019s drawing renewed Republican ire from California Republicans in top-tier races, including Hilton.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/05\/localimages\/calvert.jpeg\" type=\"attachment\" id=\"3760179\">Reps.\u00a0Ken Calvert<\/a> (R-CA) and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/4539232\/ken-calvert-young-kim-fight-california-40th-district\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"4539232\">Young Kim<\/a> (R-CA), who are running against each other for a newly configured House seat in the outlying Los Angeles exurbs and beyond, are also not fans of the system. Each told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> the election system is structured in a way that disadvantages GOP candidates.<\/p>\n<p>Garcia\u2019s call to end top-two resurrects long-standing concerns among California Democrats. Many were suspicious of the system\u2019s creation by Proposition 14, which voters approved in 2010 and first used in the 2012 elections. At that time, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) urged California voters to reject Proposition 14, a suggestion they roundly ignored by approving the proposal 54% to 46%.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">From left, Tony Thurmond, Chad Bianco, Tom Steyer, Steve Hilton, Xavier Becerra, Katie Porter, Matt Mahan and Antonio Villaraigosa participate in a gubernatorial debate hosted by CBS LA at Pomona College in Claremont, Calif., April 28, 2026. (AP Photo\/Jae C. Hong)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The top-two election system was pushed in 2010 by outgoing Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado, GOP centrists who frequently clashed with their own party establishment. They and other supporters argued it would expand voter choice and curb polarization by forcing candidates to appeal to a broader electorate. The theory was that it would reward moderation and coalition-building. But critics like\u00a0Lance Christensen, vice president of government affairs and education policy at California Policy Center, say that promise has not materialized.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRepublicans have largely been driven out of legislative seats and had their voices silenced to super-minority status by Democrats who have gamified the primaries by either propping up terrible Republicans or simply running Democratic candidates as moderates only to swing to the left on nearly every issue,\u201d Christensen told the <em>Washington\u00a0Examiner<\/em>. \u201cThe top-two primary has effectively marginalized thoughtful candidates who are no longer vetted and supported by the local party apparatus that should know them best. Rather, we get the most narcissistic candidates who are willing to say anything to anyone to get elected.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-law-of-the-jungle-primary\">Law of the \u2018jungle\u2019 primary<\/h2>\n<p>Despite nagging Democratic concerns, top-two has often worked to the party\u2019s advantage in deep-blue California, frequently producing Democrat-versus-Democrat general elections that gave the party a win either way. But this year\u2019s volatile governor\u2019s race has upended that dynamic.<\/p>\n<p>The contest to succeed <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/gavin-newsom\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1426\">Gov. Gavin Newsom<\/a> (D-CA) has produced a sprawling Democratic field without a clear front-runner. In that vacuum, the race saw the rise of Republicans Hilton, a London-born-and-raised former adviser to former British Prime Minister David Cameron, and Riverside Sheriff\u00a0Chad Bianco, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/after-whitmer-ally-rejects-call-for-investigation-gop-hints-at-funding-special-prosecutor\/\" title=\"After Whitmer Ally Rejects Call For Investigation, GOP Hints At Funding Special Prosecutor\">top law enforcement official<\/a> in California\u2019s fourth-most populous county, which stretches from exurban Los Angeles to the Arizona state line.<\/p>\n<p>With that possibility on the horizon, members from both parties want the system gone.\u00a0 Republicans, outnumbered in the state, have long argued that they want a more level playing field and said the system shuts them out of general elections. Democrats now say the\u00a0system\u00a0sidelines ideologically pure candidates who represent the largely Trump-despising electorate. It instead rewards those with more name recognition, they add, along with big-money donors in their corner, while ignoring grassroots movements.<\/p>\n<p>California-based political pundit Jamie E. Wright told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that at first glance, the marketing pitch for the top-two primary seemed appealing. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn paper, this is pure democratic theory. In reality, systems rely on incentives, voter turnout patterns, campaign finance, media coverage, and candidate behaviors to function,\u201d Wright said. \u201cRight now, what we are seeing is that the top-two system can create fragmentation among candidates in a party just as easily as it does moderation. When one party supports multiple legitimate candidates and splits the vote, it opens up opportunities for a second party with significantly\u00a0fewer registered voters to receive more total votes. This is exactly what is occurring right now in California.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Political strategist Matt Klink, who worked on the original campaign to pass the system, said the top-two system\u00a0\u201cwas sold to California voters as a way to get more moderate candidates,\u201d but that the \u201cexact opposite has happened.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn reality, it has produced more extreme candidates,\u201d he told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cDistricts at the state and federal level are mostly drawn so that the most extreme candidate wins and moderate\/centrist candidates get squeezed out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Republican strategist Jeff Burton described the system more bluntly as \u201cchaos.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCase in point, California\u2019s next governor is likely to advance with less than 20% of the total vote in the June primary,\u201d he told the <em>Washington\u00a0Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>But Burton, founding\u00a0partner at Maven Advocacy, added that undoing the system would be difficult.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf people want to get rid of top-two, they\u2019re writing a very big check and going to the ballot,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd right now, there\u2019s not much evidence voters are demanding that change.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-campaign-strategy-contortions\">Campaign strategy contortions<\/h2>\n<p>Even at the congressional level, the top-two system is shaping campaign dynamics.<\/p>\n<p>In California\u2019s 40th Congressional District, Calvert and Kim are locked in a high-stakes intra-party fight and have spent heavily attacking one another while navigating a crowded field that includes five Democrats. The possibility that Democratic votes could split, allowing both Republicans to advance and face off again in November, has raised concerns about the long-term impact of such bruising contests.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe problem with these jungle primaries is that people play games and they get involved in trying to split votes and do this and do that,\u201d Calvert said. \u201cThat\u2019s exactly what\u2019s going on now, and I don\u2019t think that it serves the Republican Party well. I don\u2019t think it serves the Democratic Party well either.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>California election reformers are split on how to move forward but have pushed alternatives like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/georgia-house-passes-omnibus-election-reform-bill\/\" title=\"Georgia House Passes Omnibus ... Reform Bill\">ranked choice voting<\/a>, which avoids vote-splitting entirely. Under the system, voters would be able to choose among all candidates in a race, regardless of party.<\/p>\n<p>In Alaska, which uses the system, voters get one choice in the primary, and the four candidates who receive the most votes advance to the general election. In the general election, voters were allowed to rank candidates for a particular position.<\/p>\n<p>For example, in the first round of counting, if no candidate reached the 50% mark, it went to a second round, which started with the candidate who received the fewest votes in the first round being eliminated. If the eliminated candidate was a voter\u2019s top pick, their next choice would get their vote in the round. This would continue until a candidate reached the 50% threshold and a winner was declared.<\/p>\n<p>Other options include open access primaries with party nomination, in which a party chooses its nominees, and independent voters have another means or crossover ability to participate in their party\u2019s nomination contest. <\/p>\n<p>But Chad Peace,\u00a0the legal advisor for the Independent Voter Project, which advocates for more open elections, maintains that California\u2019s top-two primary system has more positives than negatives and should be protected. <\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4547179\/california-governors-debate-turns-chaotic-as-candidates-chase-breakout-moment\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"4547179\"><\/a><\/strong>\u201cSo our viewpoint is that this is not about the parties,\u201d Peace told the <em>Washington\u00a0Examiner.<\/em> \u201cWe\u2019re very party-agnostic. It\u2019s about voters, and the system we offered is the only one, aside from Washington and Alaska, where every voter and every party is treated the same, and the rules are the same for everybody. So sometimes a Democratic district might send two Democrats to the general election.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4547179\/california-governors-debate-turns-chaotic-as-candidates-chase-breakout-moment\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"4547179\">CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR\u2019S DEBATE TURNS CHAOTIC AS CANDIDATES CHASE BREAKOUT MOMENT<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe argue that\u2019s the first time Republicans have a meaningful vote, because in the gerrymandered Democratic district, they otherwise wouldn\u2019t have a meaningful vote,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>Peace said that unusual circumstances can occur in any election, simply due to the composition of the field. He added that, going forward, his group will look at places like Alaska, but remained strongly opposed to returning to a system of closed primaries \u201cwhere you disenfranchise half of your electorate at the first stage of the process.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Barnini Chakraborty (@Barnini) is a senior political reporter at the <\/em>Washington Examiner.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Amid fears Democrats face a governor lockout, California leaders push to end the \u201ctop-two\u201d jungle primary<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2646,"featured_media":2597477,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/WB.Campaign.050626.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[78920,4045,78919],"class_list":["post-2597476","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-bipartisan-backlash","tag-california","tag-jungle-primary"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/WB.Campaign.050626.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2597476","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2646"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2597476"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2597476\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2597480,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2597476\/revisions\/2597480"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2597477"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2597476"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2597476"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2597476"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}