Jungle Primary Definition and Overview

Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

An election system where all candidates appear on one ballot regardless of party and the top two finishers, even from the same party, advance to the general election.
Which U.S. states use a jungle primary?
Can two candidates from the same party face off in the general election?
Is the jungle primary the same as an open primary?

Elections & DemocracyUpdated June 22, 2026

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In California's 2016 U.S. Senate jungle primary, Democrats Kamala Harris and Loretta Sanchez finished first and second, producing a same-party general election that Harris won.

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A jungle primary (also called a "top-two" or "nonpartisan blanket" primary) is a system in which every candidate for an office appears on a single ballot regardless of party affiliation, and all registered voters may participate regardless of their own party registration. The top two finishers advance to the general election, even if they belong to the same party.

The format is used most prominently in California (adopted by Proposition 14 in 2010, first used in 2012) and Washington State (adopted in 2004, implemented in 2008 after litigation). Louisiana uses a related but distinct variant sometimes called the "Louisiana primary," in which a candidate winning more than 50% in the first round wins outright; otherwise the top two advance. Nebraska uses a nonpartisan top-two system for its unicameral state legislature.

Supporters argue jungle primaries:

Reduce polarization by forcing candidates to appeal to a broader electorate, including independents.
Give unaffiliated voters meaningful participation in the decisive round.
Can produce moderate winners in lopsidedly partisan districts.

Critics counter that:

Minor parties are effectively shut out of general elections, since they rarely finish in the top two.
Same-party general elections deprive opposing-party voters of a meaningful choice.
Empirical research on whether the system actually elects more moderate legislators is mixed; studies by political scientists such as Eric McGhee and Boris Shor have found modest or inconsistent effects.

The U.S. Supreme Court upheld Washington's system against a facial challenge in Washington State Grange v. Washington State Republican Party (2008), ruling that the ballot design did not unconstitutionally infringe parties' associational rights, though it left open as-applied challenges.

Jungle primaries differ from open primaries (where voters choose one party's ballot) and closed primaries (restricted to registered party members). They are one of several reform models — alongside ranked-choice voting and final-four primaries (used in Alaska since 2022) — debated by election reformers.

Frequently asked questions

Which U.S. states use a jungle primary?

California and Washington use top-two jungle primaries for most state and federal offices. Louisiana uses a related variant where a majority winner takes the seat outright. Nebraska uses a nonpartisan top-two system for its state legislature.

Can two candidates from the same party face off in the general election?

Yes. That is a defining feature. In California's 2018 U.S. Senate race, for example, Democrats Dianne Feinstein and Kevin de León both advanced, shutting Republicans out of the November ballot.

Is the jungle primary the same as an open primary?

No. An open primary still produces separate party nominees; voters simply choose which party's ballot to use. A jungle primary abolishes party nominations entirely and advances the top two vote-getters overall.