Direct Primaries

I have now read both of Ware’s books, one on political conflict, and the other more specifically on the development of the direct primary as a way to nominate candidates for office. I must say that the depth and breadth of his knowledge is impressive.

In his discussion of the development of the primary system, Ware argues that it did not result from a struggle between the parties and those anti-party Progressives who wanted to weaken the influence of parties in government. His analysis of the history of the period between 1890 and 1910 indicates that in contrast there was little opposition within the parties to the direct primary as a method. It presented itself as a method for rationalizing the process of nomination in the face of increasing pressures from population increases. It was perhaps not the best solution, but it was the easiest to sell to party members and the general population. The role of the anti-party reformers was only secondary to the demands within the parties.

Ware’s analysis is detailed and complex. One would think that if the parties were actually supportive of the use of primaries then perhaps primaries did not weaken the parties, as the anti-party reformers wanted. Ware’s argument is that initially primaries did not weaken the parties: the parties adjusted to the new rules, and went on with their dominance of the political process. Over the long term, however, the effect of primaries, along with the development of TV and other technologies, did weaken the parties, and made elections candidate centered rather than party centered.

Given this history, Ware is not very optimistic about returning to party centered elections. He sees the history of the changes in the election process as more or less inevitable, given the character of the American polity, and short of a revolution, no prospect of development away from the candidate centered elections of the present.

My impression is that Ware is not happy with the current status quo, but as a historian it is not his place to suggest changes going forward. In contrast, I have no such restraints, and am free to suggest ways in which the current weakness of the parties could be remedied. Again, my general recommendation is to give to the parties the exclusive control of the disbursement of campaign funds to the candidates. This would have to be done as a matter of law, since the election process has been made so fully into a legal procedure of the state, and this would be the sticking point, but it is not insurmountable.