How single-party primary elections are reshaping Congress [View all]

(NPR) Congress could soon be more polarized than it already is. And primary elections are a big reason why.

Some lawmakers have begun to speak out against closed, single-party primaries, which they see as part of a system that limits voter choice and incentivizes elected officials to prioritize party loyalty over their own political judgment.

It's a case long made by advocates of primary reform.

"There has been a ratcheting up, a ramping up of both the willingness and the ability of both the Democrats and the Republicans to shape outcomes before the voters get a chance to have a say," John Opdycke, founder and president of the group Open Primaries, told NPR. "And that's really devastating."

https://www.npr.org/2026/05/30/nx-s1-5839201/party-primaries-polarized-congress