Top-two and top-four battleground primaries, 2022
| 2022 top-two and top-four battleground primary elections |
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| Battleground primaries |
| Democratic Party primaries, 2022 Republican Party primaries, 2022 Top-two and top-four battleground primaries, 2022 U.S. House battleground primaries, 2022 |
| Battlegrounds by office |
| U.S. Senate U.S. House battlegrounds Gubernatorial battlegrounds |
| 2022 election coverage |
| U.S. House elections State executive elections 2022 election results |
Ballotpedia identified five top-two and top-four battleground primaries in 2022.
A top-two primary system allows all candidates to run and all voters to vote in one primary election, with the top two vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, moving on to the general election. As of 2022, two states—California and Washington—used a top-two primary system for congressional and state-level elections.[1][2] California's top-two primaries took place on June 7, and Washingon's top-two primaries took place on August 2.
A top-four primary system allows all candidates to run and all voters to vote in one primary election, with the top four vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, moving on to the general election.[3] The 2022 election was the first time Alaska used this system. In 2020, Alaska voters approved a ballot initiative establishing the system for state executive, state legislative, and congressional elections. The initiative also established ranked-choice voting for general elections for the aforementioned offices and the presidency. Alaska's top-four primaries took place on August 16.
In states that do not use a top-two or top-four system, all major parties are usually able to put forward a candidate for the general election if they choose to. In these systems, major parties can sometimes not be able to field a candidate in the general election if they fail to advance through the primary.[4][5]
Click here for information on Democratic Party battleground primaries in 2022.
Click here for information on Republican Party battleground primaries in 2022.
Click on the links below to learn more about battleground races of other types:
Criteria
It is typically difficult to predict how competitive primaries will be until after filing deadlines take place. However, Ballotpedia used a number of factors to give insight into the most interesting 2022 primary elections. Factors that were used to determine the competitiveness of primaries included:
- Whether or not the seat was open (retiring or resigning incumbent)
- Notable endorsements of multiple candidates
- Significant fundraising from multiple candidates
- Number of candidates
- Incumbent's years in office (if seeking re-election)
- Whether or not the district's general election was expected to be a battleground
U.S. Senate primaries
There was one U.S. Senate top-two or top-four battleground primary in 2022:
U.S. House primaries
There were 2 top-two or top-four battleground primaries for U.S. House seats in 2022.
- California's 27th Congressional District election, 2022 (June 7 top-two primary)
- United States House of Representatives special election in Alaska, 2022 (June 11 top-four primary)
The following map shows each state with a top-two or top-four battleground primary for U.S. House in 2022. Hover over or tap a district to view the incumbent's name.
State executive primaries
There were 2 state executive top-two or top-four battleground primary in 2022:
- Alaska gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022 (August 16 top-four primary)
- California Attorney General election, 2022 (June 7 top-two primary)
The following map shows each state with a top-two or top-four battleground for a state executive office in 2022. Hover over or tap a state to view the battleground primaries in that state and the incumbent's name in each race.
Change log
This section lists every change that was made to our battleground list between the launch of the page in February 2022 and the close of the primary election season.
- July 1, 2022: Added: AK Senate, AK-AL regular primary, WA-8, and AK Gov. Removed WA-3 and WA-4.
- May 20, 2022: Removed CA-9.
- April 18, 2022: Added AK-AL special primary.
- March 21, 2022: Added WA-3 and CA Attorney General.
- February 18, 2022: Added WA-4.
- February 11, 2022: Launched initial battlegrounds list with two races: CA-9 and CA-27.
Noteworthy past top-two primaries
This section highlights past top-two battleground primaries to illustrate how top-two primaries can produce outcomes that are not typical in other primary systems.
- In the 2012 primary for California's 31st Congressional District, Republicans Gary Miller and Bob Dutton both advanced from the top-two primary, leaving the Democrats with no general election candidate. Miller received 26.7 percent of the vote and Dutton received 24.8 percent of the vote. Four Democratic candidates split the remaining 50 percent of the vote, with the top candidate receiving 22.6 percent.
- In the 2014 primary for California's 25th Congressional District, Republicans Tony Strickland and Stephen Knight both advanced from the top-two primary, leaving the Democrats with no general election candidate. Strickland received 29.6 percent of the vote and Knight received 28.4 percent of the vote. The two Democratic candidates split 32 percent of the vote 22-9, which eliminated them both from the general election.
- In the 2018 primary for California's 8th Congressional District, Republicans Paul Cook and Tim Donnelly both advanced from the top-two primary, leaving the Democrats with no general election candidate. Cook received 40.8 percent of the vote and Donnelly received 22.8 percent of the vote. Three Democratic candidates split the remaining 36 percent of the vote, with the top candidate receiving 21.7 percent.
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Alex Padilla California Secretary of State, "Primary Elections in California," accessed October 25, 2019
- ↑ Louisiana is not included here because although it uses a majority-vote system, a candidate may win the election outright in the first round. In California and Washington, candidates cannot win the election outright in the top-two primary.
- ↑ Fairvote, "Top Four," accessed September 13, 2017
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed October 25, 2019
- ↑ FairVote, "Primaries," accessed October 25, 2019
