It was supposed to be a cutting-edge election reform, a way to take the party out of politics: an open primary in which labels like Republican and Democratic were tossed out and candidates were chosen, presumably, on their merits. The system, adopted by California voters in 2010, was meant to make politics less polarizing.
But eight years later, the highest-stakes midterm election in a long time is causing all sorts of angst for Democrats and Republicans in California. And that’s in no small part because of what is known as the jungle primary.