The impact of Prop. 14

Pub date June 8, 2010
WriterTim Redmond
SectionPolitics Blog

Proposition 14 was the sleeper on the ballot; it’s only there because Abel Maldonado refused to vote for a state budget unless both parties agreed to put it before the voters. And it’s winning. The impact of open primaries could be dramatic; it could hurt progressive candidates, pretty much wipe out third parties and potentially change the shape of the state Legislature. Maldonado likes it because it shifts the balance of power toward “centrists” — which actually means people who can raise a lot of campaign money. It’s going to take a while to sort out the impacts of Prop. 14, but it doesn’t bode well.