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California’s peculiar primary system forced the GOP to get strategic

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Former Fox News host Steve Hilton deserves credit for running a strong campaign for governor.

But Hilton’s success in advancing to the general election was not just the result of a good campaign.

It was also the result of large numbers of conservatives making a difficult strategic decision forced upon them by California’s deeply flawed top-two primary system.

Under the traditional partisan primary system, Republican voters could simply vote for the Republican candidate they preferred most. Democrats could do the same on their side. The nominees would then face each other in November.

That is no longer how California elections work.

Thanks to Proposition 14, voters are often forced to think less about who they like most and more about who can survive the primary.

That may sound clever in theory.

In practice, it often produces exactly the opposite of what democracy should encourage.

Strategic voting. Fear. And calculations about who can advance rather than who deserves support.

Early in this race, California Democratic Party Chairman Rusty Hicks warned that Democrats could split their vote and accidentally allow two Republicans to advance to the general election.

I never bought it. Neither did Assemblyman Carl DeMaio, who chairs Reform California, and others who looked honestly at the political realities.

California Democrats enjoy a massive voter registration advantage.

The real danger was never two Republicans advancing. The real danger was that Republicans would be completely locked out.

Congressman Eric Swalwell’s campaign collapsed. Support on the Democratic side consolidated around former Health and........

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