Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Washington state has a top two primary system. On Tuesday, Washington state held its primary. Visit the Washington Secretary of State for complete results on state races.
There are 3,731,345 registered voters for the primary eelctions. Preliminary election results show 824,539 ballots counted and an estimated 204,191 ballots to be processed. Presently voter turnout is a dismal 22.1%.
In the U.S. Senate race, Maria Cantwell (D) received 55.77% of the vote, and Michael Baumgartner (R) received 30.24% of the vote out of a field of 4 Republicans. "Some guy" running on the Reform Party finished last.
In the closely watched CD 1 race, John Koster (R) received 43.72% of the vote. Suzan DelBene (D) received 23.33% of the vote to Darcy Burner's (D) 14.6% of the vote out of a field of 5 Democrats. "Some guy" running on the Independent Party finished last.
In the CD 2 race, Rick Larsen (D) received 59.54% of the vote to Dan Matthew's (R) 26.98% of the vote out of a field of 3 Republicans. "Some guy" running as no party preference edged out "some guy" from The 99% Party to finish last.
The CD 3 race was less crowded. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R) received 54.91% of the vote, and Jon Haugen (D) received 38.92% of the vote. "Some gal" running as no party preference finished last.
The CD 4 race resembled a "traditional" primary. Mary Baechler (D) defeated one other Democrat with 28.44% of the vote. Doc Hastings (R) defeated one other Republican with 57.4 % of the vote.
In the CD 5 race, Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R) defeated one other Republican with 53.99% of the vote, and Rich Cowan (D) secured a win with 34.91% of the vote. "Some guy" running as no party preference finished last.
In the CD 6 race, Derek Kilmer (D) received 54.21% of the vote, and Bill Driscoll (R) received 17.86$ of the vote out of a field of 5 Republicans. "Some guy" running on the Independent Party actually managed to beat out one of the Republicans to avoid finishing last.
In the CD 7 race, Jim McDermott (D) received 69.45% of the vote out of a field of four Democrats, and Ron Bemis (R) received 16.75% of the vote. "Some guy" running on the Prefers EmploymentWealth Party finished last.
In the CD 8 race, Dave Reichert (R) received 50.43% of the vote out of a field of 3 Republicans, and Karen Porterfield (D) defeated one other Democrat with 28.65% of the vote. "Some guy" running as no party preference actually managed to beat out one of the Republicans to avoid finishing last.
In the CD 9 race, Adam Smith (D) received 60.55% of the vote out of a field of 3 Democrats (one ran as F.D.R. Democrat Party), and Jm Postma (R) defeated one other Republican with 22.97% of the vote.
In the CD 10 race, Denny Heck (D) received 41.22% of the vote over one other Democrat, and Richard Muri received 25.97% of the vote over one other Republican. "Some gal" running on the Progressive independent Party edged out "some guy" running as no party preference to avoid finishing last.
So what is the takeaway here? The "Top Two" primary does not increase voter turnout as advocates claim. Incumbents from the two major political parties are still heavily favored to win because a crowded field of opponents splits the opposition vote. In this example, the Green Party and Libertarian Party failed to even field a candidate. The self-declared political parties (not bona fide political parties) finished last in most cases, but edged out a couple of Republicans.
I would have to research the political views of each of the candidates who advanced to the general election, but it woud appear that the congressional incumbents are well on their way to another term. So if "moderating" their views is the intent, it would appear that the "Top Two" primary has no effect, because their constituents actually support their views -- at least the small number who voted for them in the primary.
I would like to see the final results broken down by how many voters not aligned with the Democratic or Republican parties turned out to vote in this "Top Two" primary. I am confident that it is well below the overall voter turnout in this primary.
This is just another bad idea that fails to deliver what supporters claim. Don't be fooled.
Recent Comments