California "Top Two" to Encounter First Real Test

California's "Top Two" will likely face its first real test on May 17th when two democratic candidates, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn and California Secretary of State Debra Bowen vie for a congressional seat.

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• Process issue will define CA GOP (Ben Smith, Politico) The conservative party leadership, led by outgoing party Chairman Ron Nehring, has proposed that the party choose and designate a candidate despite the changed system, and that only the party choice be able to benefit from -- among other things -- crucial state party financial support.
• Thomas D. Elias: Congress race may be first true test of 'top 2' primary (By Thomas D. Elias, LA Daily News) But if Hahn or Bowen, both proven vote-getters with enduring popularity at opposite ends of the district, can pull large numbers of independent voters, it's possible this district could see the first-ever Democrat vs. Democrat runoff race at midsummer. There is, however, a wild card here. Leftist Democrat Marcy Winograd, a self-described "progressive" and a high school teacher who twice gave Harman stiff primary challenges (she won 37 percent of the Democratic vote in 2006 and 41 percent in 2010), could sneak into the runoff if she hangs on to most of the voters who previously went for her.
• Independent voters surge in California (Central Valley Business Times) A new all-time high percentage of California voters, 20.4 percent, have no party preference, according to the latest Report of Registration from Secretary of State Debra Bowen. The previous record for the proportion of unaffiliated voters was 20.25 percent of all registered voters, reported in October 2010.