The Primary Solution

Rescuing Our Democracy from the Fringes

By: Nick Troiano, Nick Troiano - introduction

Narrated by: Pete Simonelli

In a divided America, the biggest solvable problem fueling political extremism and dysfunction is hiding in plain sight: party primaries. The Primary Solution is the “thought-provoking” (Arnold Schwarzenegger) answer the country needs.

Congress has become an unproductive and unaccountable mess. Polls show that only twenty percent of Americans think it’s doing a good job—yet ninety percent of incumbents are reelected. This shocking discrepancy is a natural outcome of our system of party primaries and their polarizing incentives.

Party primaries were invented over a century ago to democratize candidate nominations, but today their exclusionary rules and low turnout guarantee the exact opposite: only a small fraction of votes wind up deciding the vast majority of our elections. The result is a Congress that, rather than representing a majority of Americans, is instead beholden to the fringes of both major parties. This is the “primary problem” in our politics today. Fortunately, The Primary Solution “illuminates a powerful yet practical pathway out” (James Stavridis, Admiral, US Navy, Retired) and is “a must-read for anyone who wants a sane democracy” (Danielle Allen, author of Our Declaration).

Nick Troiano, founding executive director of Unite America, makes a bold proposal to abolish party primaries in our country. Doing so does not require a Constitutional amendment or an act of Congress. In fact, several states have already replaced party primaries with nonpartisan primaries that give all the voters the freedom to vote for any candidate in every election, regardless of party.

“A fresh, timely political analysis” (Kirkus Reviews), The Primary Solution offers voters across the political spectrum a realistic roadmap to a more representative and functional democracy.

Excellent collection of ideas and analysis centered around action

I highly recommend this book to anyone hoping to fix the toxic polarization in our politics.

Great call to action

Excellent and clear on very specific action. We need open primaries in 2026 and rank choice voting.

Important Topic

This book provides an excellent overview of the root problem facing our country - primary elections that favor the far left and far right and ignore and exclude the will and desires of the vast majority of US citizens. More importantly the book offers some common sense and proven solutions to address the issue. The only ones who will oppose it are the entrenched politicians who are afraid of losing their grip on power - and their lemming followers who can't think for themselves.

A must read for all Americans.

If you have ever wondered why our government is dysfunctional and unrepresentative, and what you can do to change that, this book is for you.

Important topic that deserves wide discussion and support

It is widely believed that democracy in the United States is deeply flawed. As this book shows, throughout the country a relatively small percentage of the population elects state and federal officials, and those elected politicians have incentives to support more extreme positions and to refuse to work with members of opposing parties to solve societal problems. This book identifies the political primary election system as central to this situation and explains how changing to truly open primaries and a policy that designates the electoral victor as the candidate who wins the majority (not plurality) of the casted votes would help promote broader voter participation and more representative government. The author discusses several examples that are working well in several US states. Very informative and clearly articulated. I highly recommend this book.