How primary elections enable polarized amateurs
In the 2022 primary elections, many incumbent leg…
An episode of the The Science of Politics podcast, hosted by Niskanen Center, titled "How primary elections enable polarized amateurs" was published on August 24, 2022 and runs 49 minutes.
August 24, 2022 ·49m · The Science of Politics
Summary
In the 2022 primary elections, many incumbent legislators have lost their seats to more extreme candidates, and Trump-endorsed newcomers are winning races against established professionals. Both are the culmination of ongoing trends. Rachel Porter finds that primary electorates, especially on the Republican side, are far more extreme than general electorates. And primary voters have increasingly been preferring amateur candidates over experienced politicians, partially because those candidates can now raise early national money. While that can mean more diversity in the candidate pool, it may also drive congressional dysfunction.