How familiar are you with California’s primary system?
John, how familiar are you with California’s primary system?
If you’re a Californian (like us) you probably know all about it! But, in case you’re not familiar, we’re going to break it down for you, because it’s going to have a huge impact on our campaign.
First, though, if you’re ready to support Katie Porter for Senate and want to help make sure we have the resources we’ll need to win both the primary and the general election, please chip in right now to become a Founding Donor.
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Okay, let’s get into it!
In most places, candidates from different political parties run in separate primaries. The primaries decide which candidate will represent each political party in the general election. So Democrats vote in the Democratic primary, and they choose the Democratic nominee who will then represent the Democratic party in the general election.
But, in California, every candidate participates in the same primary election. The two candidates who get the most votes in the primary move on to the general election, regardless of which party they belong to.
This means that the general election isn’t always a contest between a Democrat and a Republican—sometimes, it winds up being a competition between two Democrats.
This could make things a lot more challenging for us! It means that, even if we win the primary, we may not get the wave of post-primary unification and support that primary winners typically get—because our opponent in the general election could very well be another Democrat.
Having a divided Democratic Party in the general election could also make it harder for us to secure the support and resources we’ll need to win, because our general election opponent could be targeting the same donors, supporters, and volunteers that we are.
Plus, Katie is just one of about a dozen Members of Congress who doesn’t take money from corporate PACs or federal lobbyists—so it’s likely our general election opponent does accept this money, giving them a major cash advantage.
That’s why we’re taking action now. The more support we lock down early—the more resources we secure now—the stronger our campaign will be for both the primary and the general election.
So, if you can, will you please chip in $5 today to help make sure we’ll have the best campaign possible no matter who we end up against? By making a contribution today, you’ll become one of our Founding Donors!
Thank you for your support.
—Katie Porter for Senate
