Although voter turnout is usually low, primary elections can be more important than the general election in certain states. Photo by Hill Street Studios/Getty Images.
New Jersey voters head to the polls Tuesday for two critical primary contests that will determine who will be competing in the Oct. 16 general election to find a permanent replacement for the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg, a Democrat.
Each state sets its own laws governing when they’re held, who can vote in them, and how candidates advance to the general election. In some states, primaries are considered to be more important than the general election.
Primaries come in two main categories: partisan and non-partisan.
In a partisan primary, each state holds mini-elections for each major political party before the general election date. Candidates of the same political affiliation face off to determine who will receive the party nod and advance to compete with the candidate of the other major political party in the general election. Who can vote in a partisan primary depends on the law.
There are three types of partisan primaries: open, closed, and semi-closed. Closed primaries are only open to those registered with that party. But some states opted for semi-closed primaries to avoid exclusion of independent voters. In that case, independents are allowed to cast ballots in either party’s primary.
In some states, like Utah, each political party is allowed to choose the type of primary the party will hold, so Republicans hold closed primaries and Democrats hold semi-closed contests. There are a few different variations of this system. In 2011, Idaho passed a law allowing parties to choose preferred primary types, but that requires voters be bound to that party affiliation in the next election. In Arizona where the rules are even stricter, only people pre-registered with a political party are issued a ballot.
In an open primary all voters can select a ballot for any party, regardless of their political registration, but they can only vote in one contest. Most states require that voters be registered with some political party. Open primary supporters argue more people can participate when independent voters are encouraged to cast ballots.
Open primary elections were adopted during the Progressive Movement of the turn of the century because they were seen as a way to put power in the hands of the people. Citizens could choose their candidates for office through a popular vote, rather than leaving the selection of a candidate up to the caucus power of political party bosses.
Open primary critics say this system would allow members of one political party to vote in the rival party’s contest in hopes of helping to nominate the weakest candidate. (See Rush Limbaugh’s Operation “Chaos,” for example). This is known as raiding, but there is little proof such a practice has ever actually affected an election result.
In states with closed primaries that lean heavily towards one political party, the primary is the election which usually determines who ascend to office.
In New Jersey, a Republican has not been elected to the Senate in over 40 years. There are two candidates running for the Republican nomination: Steve Lonegan, a tea party conservative who twice sought the gubernatorial nomination, and Alieta Eck, a doctor who has never held public office. This race is widely considered so difficult for Republicans to win that many potential candidates sat it out.
Similarly, the Senate race in Wyoming centers on the fight between Sen. Michael Enzi and Liz Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney. In a state as Republican-leaning as Wyoming, it is highly unlikely a Democrat would win statewide office. The last Democrat elected to the Senate from Wyoming was John J. Hickey who was appointed to the position to fill the vacancy left by the death of Keith Thomson, who suffered a heart attack before he could assume office in 1961.
California and Washington state have opted for a non-partisan blanket or “Top Two” primary election, sometimes called a “jungle” primary. In these states all candidates for office run on the same ballot in one primary, and the candidate who wins a simple majority of the vote (over 50 percent) wins. If nobody wins more than 50 percent of the vote, then the top two candidates advance to a runoff election.
This was done in order to create more competition among candidates and give citizens who live in areas historically dominated by one party more choices. It is common under this system to have two candidates from the same political party compete against each other in the general election. Under this system, people who are not members of the dominant party can still have a say in which candidate better represents their views.
For an interactive map detailing each state’s primary rules and regulations click here
Arizona Senator Jeff Flake announced on Tuesday he will not seek reelection when his term in the  is up next year, citing issues within the United States Republican Party and with President Donald Trump, whose behavior he called "reckless, outrageous, and undignified." The Trump administration said Flake had poor support among his constituency.

In a speech on the floor of the Senate, Flake said, "The notion that one should stay silent as the norms and values that keep America strong are undermined and as the alliances and agreements that ensure the stability of the entire world are routinely threatened by the level of thought that goes into 140 characters — the notion that one should say and do nothing in the face of such mercurial behavior is ahistoric and," he said, "I believe, profoundly misguided." He later added on CNN's '''', "It's difficult to move forward in a Republican primary if you have been critical of any of the behavior that's gone on... We Republicans certainly can't countenance that kind of behavior. We ought to stand up and say 'This is not right. This is not us. This is not conservative.' "
Senator Jeff Flake in 2016.
"Based on the lack of support he has from the people of Arizona, retirement's probably a good move,"   told the media. Recent polls showed Flake has limited popularity with Republicans in Arizona.

Last year President Trump told other Arizona politicians he planned to personally spend US$10 million to see that Flake did not win the Republican primary, the intra-party election that names the party's official candidate. About two months ago Trump tweeted in support of Flake's rival for the primary nod, , "Great to see that Dr. Kelli Ward is running against Flake Jeff Flake, who is WEAK on borders, crime and a non-factor in Senate. He's toxic!"

Republican Senators  and , who have also been critical of President Trump, stood and clapped at the end of Flake's floor speech. Corker later called Flake a "real conservative." Republican Senator  of Maine described herself as deeply disappointed by Flake's decision. Republican Senator  and  Senator  referred to it as "sad" and "depressing."

Kaine commented, "When someone as good and decent a person as Jeff Flake does not think he can continue in the body, it's a very tragic day for the institution."

Flake has recently published a book, ''Conscience of a Conservative: A Rejection of Destructive Politics and a Return to Principle'', in which he criticizes what he sees as Trump's negative effect on the tone of United States politics. Politically, Flake has differed from President Trump on trade and immigration, specifically the  and the , with Flake in favor of both agreements and Trump against.  Flake also co-authored a 2013 law that would have given undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship if it had passed. Trump is in the early stages of building a wall on the U.S.– border in an attempt to prevent people from entering the U.S. illegally and has issued three executive orders limiting immigration from specific countries, though these were later blocked.

United States senators serve six-year terms.  One third of the Senate is elected or reelected every two years.



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CAT:United StatesCAT:Politics and conflictsCAT:ElectionsCAT:Republican Party (United States)CAT:ArizonaCAT:Donald Trump