Washington Examiner columnist Guy Benson slammed California Democrats on Monday for a new ballot initiative that would repeal the state’s top-two primary system, which would mean a return to traditional party primaries.
“I think it goes to and speaks to the arrogance of entrenched one-party rule in a place like California,” Benson said on Fox Business’s The Evening Edit.
Recommended Stories
In a top-two primary system, also known as a “jungle primary,” all candidates run against one another. And the top two vote-getters advance to the general election, even if they are from the same party.
This is a rising concern for Democrats, who are seeing the possibility of two Republican contenders in the California gubernatorial race.
Benson joked that a few weeks ago, he had a conversation about the top-two primary system and whether both candidates would be Republicans.
“Democrats who run that state will not let it happen. They will change the rules; they will do what they need to do to ensure that is not the case,” Benson said.
Democrat Steven Maviglio filed a ballot initiative to repeal the top-two primary system and return the state to traditional party primaries.
“Voters are too frequently forced to choose from just two candidates from the same political party in the general election. When that occurs, entire segments of voters are left without any candidate who reflects their views,” the initiative said. “It is time to end the experiment and return to a system that will expand voter choice and encourage broader participation.”
Benson pointed out, however, that the race looks more like a “dog fight” now, with one Democrat and one Republican at the top of the ticket.
“I don’t anticipate this [ballot initiative] needing to be the case, but there is a break-the-glass scenario, and there’s many people that have a deep understanding of what it would look like if Democrats were locked out and we’re going to do everything to make sure that doesn’t happen,” Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) said on Thursday.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) called out the initiative and Newsom.
“Here is the Governor of California and Democrats’ 2028 frontrunner saying he has a secret backup plan to change the outcome of an election if his state’s voters pick candidates he doesn’t like. ‘No Kings,’ right Gavin?” Scalise said on X.
NEWSOM ANNOUNCES TWO-YEAR BALANCED BUDGET AND USES ROLLOUT TO TRASH TRUMP
“Tough hill to climb for the GOP there, but I’m glad to see some fight in these Republican voters,” Benson said.
California’s primary election will be held on June 2.
