Are Primary Elections Ruining Democracy? (Encore)

Are Primary Elections Ruining Democracy? (Encore)

August 7, 2026 · 53 min

About this episode

The episode revisits the debate on whether primary elections are undermining democracy amidst a contentious primary season.

The midterms are coming up this fall, and right now we are in the middle of a contentious primary season, with a lot of new faces challenging incumbents—and many winning. It’s in this context that we revisit our debate from 2022: Are Primary Elections Ruining Democracy?  Arguing YES  Elaine Kamarck, Founding Director of the Center for Effective Public Management at the Brookings Institution  Arguing NO  Jed Ober, Former Director of Programs at Democracy International and Former Chief of Staff for Pennsylvania Congresswoman Susan Wild  Emmy award-winning journalist John Donvan moderates Join the conversation on Substack—share your perspective on this episode and subscribe to our weekly newsletter for curated insights from our debaters, moderators, and staff.  Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and TikTok to stay connected with our mission and ongoing debates.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: John Donvan

Guests: Elaine Kamarck, Jed Ober

Topics covered

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Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Brookings Institution, Democracy International

Places: Pennsylvania

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