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Q&A
Comptroller Lander clarifies his stance on vote dilution and the role of party primaries
0:23:06
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158 sec
Commissioner Grace Bonilla asks Comptroller Brad Lander to elaborate on his claim that open primaries would dilute the Democratic party vote, noting a lack of supporting data.
Lander clarifies that his concern is not about the mathematical dilution of votes but about losing the ability for party members to select their own candidate for the general election.
He defends the existing primary system as a valuable, albeit imperfect, feature of American democracy.
- Bonilla questions the data behind the argument that open primaries dilute the power of the Democratic party vote.
- Lander clarifies that he meant Democrats would lose the specific opportunity to choose their party's nominee in a primary.
- He describes the primary process as a way to have a debate within the party and choose a candidate to represent its values in the general election.
- Lander concludes by stating that for all its flaws, he likes the current system and believes it's a valuable part of the political process.
Grace Bonilla
0:23:06
Hi, Brad.
Brad Lander
0:23:07
Great to see you.
Grace Bonilla
0:23:08
Good to see you.
0:23:09
My question has to do with you're making such a strong assertion that it's a dilution of the vote, and I don't get the data that shows that.
0:23:17
I'm trying to understand it.
0:23:18
I'm looking at other places.
0:23:20
I'm looking at six in particular, and it was mentioned before.
0:23:23
When we look at other large metropolitan cities, that's not been the outcome.
0:23:27
So I'm I'm curious about that.
0:23:30
And so I just wanna hear a little bit more about that assumption because I haven't seen data that supports that assumption.
Brad Lander
0:23:37
On the dilution specifically of the African American vote?
Grace Bonilla
0:23:40
Dilution of particularly if we have primaries, the Democratic party vote.
Brad Lander
0:23:46
Well, I mean, what I mean there is, I mean, the way a primary works now are that voters who identify as Democrats get to choose the candidate we want to have represent us in the general election in the fall, and if we don't have a Democratic party primary, we won't have an opportunity to do that.
0:24:06
Like, everyone you know, if you have a like, it's it's yeah.
0:24:10
I mean, that's that's all I mean there.
0:24:11
That's not dilution.
0:24:12
That's the way our system works right now, by having a party primary.
0:24:16
You get to choose.
0:24:17
I mean, you can decide, do I want to identify with one of these parties and go choose that party's candidate in the general election?
0:24:25
And if you do, you register with that party.
0:24:27
It's not hard.
0:24:28
You should be able to change it later.
0:24:31
And you have a debate within the context of how do I think about what a Democratic or Republican or working families or conservative or green candidate should be so we can put that candidate up in the fall's election.
0:24:45
And that's, I mean, that's how we've just have historically done politics, and for all its flaws, I like doing it that way.
0:24:53
I mean, and I think it's valuable what we did here, not only for Democrats to be able to choose the Democratic candidate in the false election, but participate in the broader national American context.
0:25:06
What do we want from Democrats right now as we're thinking about next year's elections, and as we're thinking about the future?
0:25:12
Like, that's how we do politics.
0:25:14
We say, you know, what should our party be?
0:25:17
Who are the folks within it that stand up and fight?
0:25:20
Who else am I relating to?
0:25:22
What kind of coalitions are we building?
0:25:25
Again, mean, it's messy, it's got its downsides, but that's American democracy, and it's it seems strange to me to choose to undo it.
Richard R. Buery Jr.
0:25:36
Thank you so much, controller.
0:25:37
I really appreciate it.
0:25:38
Thank you for your testimony.
Brad Lander
0:25:39
I really do appreciate all your service, and thank you for the opportunity.
Richard R. Buery Jr.
0:25:42
For the kind word about our word.
0:25:43
I appreciate it.
0:25:43
Thank you.