> This is why I'm so happy about the California top-two primaries - they've created competitive elections in a dominant-party state.

Have they really? It seems more like they've pulled candidates towards the center slightly and relegated third parties to the sidelines even more.

When the initiative was passed, third parties opposed it because they said it would make it more difficult for them to run competitive or even influential (but unsuccessful) campaigns.

For statewide races, the jungle primary approach seems to come down to which two Democrats attract enough votes away from other parties (and other Democrats) in order to make it to the final two.