Some members of Congress and election-reform advocates argue that closed, single-party primaries encourage candidates to cater to a narrower electorate, increasing incentives for party-line voting and discouraging bipartisan compromise. In an NPR report, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick said the system can pressure lawmakers away from supporting policies they believe are right and called the two-party framework too rigid for a country of about 340 million people.
Several members of Congress and election-reform advocates are warning that closed, single-party primaries can intensify polarization in Washington by narrowing the pool of voters who decide many nominations.
In a May 2026 report, NPR described how, in many districts dominated by one party, the primary has increasingly become the contest that effectively determines who will serve in Congress, leaving the general election with less competitive pressure.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican, told NPR in April that closed primaries can deter lawmakers from backing policies they see as sound out of fear of a primary challenge from within their own party.
"You have so many people that are co-opted from doing the right thing and supporting the right policy because of politics," Fitzpatrick said.
Fitzpatrick also criticized the limits of the two-party system, arguing that Americans do not fit neatly into two political categories — a point he illustrated by citing the country’s population at roughly 340 million.
Reform advocates interviewed by NPR said party organizations have become increasingly willing and able to shape outcomes before the broader electorate weighs in. John Opdycke, founder and president of Open Primaries, said partisan primaries alongside partisan redistricting can amplify polarization by rewarding candidates who appeal most strongly to their party’s most reliable primary voters.
The debate over primary rules varies by state. Closed primaries allow only registered party members to vote in that party’s nomination contest, while other states use open or semi-open systems that allow broader participation. Supporters of changing the rules argue that expanding access could create incentives for candidates to build wider coalitions; critics of open systems have long argued they can enable strategic “crossover” voting, though the NPR report focused on the effects of closed contests on governing incentives in Congress.
