'Extremely scary': Specter of an all-GOP governor's race spurs push to remake open primary

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Voters in California may get a chance to remake the state’s open primary system in two years.Political consultant Steve Maviglio filed an application on Friday with state officials that seeks to alter California’s voting system by reverting to a traditional primary.Under the proposal, the top candidates from each party would advance to the general election in November.The current system allows the top two candidates, regardless of party, to move on to the general election.

That has led to instances in which two Democrats or two Republicans have faced off in the general election.The state’s gubernatorial election, for example, has prompted concern that two Republicans could shut out the Democratic candidates.Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and former Fox News commentator Steve Hilton, have both polled high in various surveys and are facing a large field of Democrats.

California The wide-open race to succeed Gavin Newsom as California governor has attracted a large and diverse field of candidates.Democratic voters vastly outnumber Republicans in California, yet some political consultants said they feared there were so many Democrats running that voters wouldn’t coalesce around one candidate and the field would be split.Those fears have eased somewhat in recent weeks as some Democratic candidates advance from the pack.The state’s top-two primary system has been in place since California voters passed Proposition 14 in 2010.

The goal was to help end partisan gridlock in Sacramento and force candidates in primaries to appeal to a wider range of voters, rather than just those in their own party.Proposition 14, as well as the state’s once-a-decade redistricting process, has led to some dramatic races, including the 2012 face-off between Democratic Reps.Brad Sherman and Howard Berman for a congressional seat in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley.

Amid aspersions and ...