California Democrats spend $110 million to defeat other Democrats in 2016 same-party races

Dominating California politics is getting pricey for Democrats, who spent in excess of $110 million to defeat other Democrats last year, significantly more than what it cost them under the top-two primary system in 2014.

An analysis by Forward Observer found that Democrats “raised or spent $91.5 million on same-party races — a 69 percent increase from 2014 when Democrats spent $54.3 million.”

The Sacramento public affairs firm’s figures included state Assembly and Senate races as well as U.S. House races, but not the U.S. Senate contest between Democrats Kamala Harris and Loretta Sanchez, whose campaigns spent a combined $20 million.

Meanwhile, California Republicans raised or spent less last year — $2.78 million — than they did in 2014, when they ran up a tab of $13.85 million on same-party races.

Democrats had to contend with 24 same-party contests last year, while Republicans had just four. Republicans ran against each other last year only in Assembly contests.

Since it went into effect in 2012, California’s top-two primary, in which the candidates with the most primary votes face off in the general election no matter what their party affiliation, has resulted in 79 same-party races, 59 Democrat-on-Democrat and 20 all-Republican.

In 2010, voters approved Proposition 14, a constitutional amendment enacting the nonpartisan blanket primary.

“In total, Democrats have spent a total of $195 million on same-party races since Prop. 14 first went into effect in 2012 compared to $31.3 million spent by Republicans,” said Forward Observer. “In other words, Democrats have spent $6.24 on same-party races for every dollar spent or raised by Republicans.”

Proposition 14 has come as something of a double-edged sword for Democrats, strengthening their lock on statewide offices but also contributing to party disunity by intensifying the liberal-moderate divide.

CalWatchdog pointed to “a sharpening of differences between the more moderate and more progressive wings of the party, sparking sometimes thorny disagreements that could have been softened had all candidates vying for office run against Republican opponents.”