Erik M. Jensen, the Coleman P. Burke Professor of Law, wrote an opinion piece for The Baltimore Sun, titled “Let the pols pick the nominees.”
In his article, he argued that often, the winners of the primaries are radically on the left and right, and opposed by a majority of voters.
He explained that while primaries can provide useful information for how a candidate will fair in the general election, it often results in unelectable candidates vying for president in November.
Jensen wrote that Republican candidate Donald Trump has won by 30 to 40 percent in most states during the primary, but that many of the remaining Republican voters and the Democratic voters wouldn’t vote for him in a general election.
“But if the first round’s vote is divided among many contenders, the two with the highest totals may both be distinctly minority candidates, each unacceptable to the majority of voters,” he wrote. “The more centrist candidates there are, the less likely it is that any will survive the first round.”
He concludes that it would be better if pols selected the general election candidates rather than the primary system.