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this post was submitted on 21 Sep 2026
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politics
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I've never done lesser evil voting and I'm certainly not gonna start of this bastard gets the nom. Been voting for the leftmost candidate running and that includes third parties. Not like it matters anyway since I live in a deep red state.
As you said, it doesn't matter because you don't live in anything resembling a swing state, but for those of us who do: please vote strategically. Vote for whomever you like in the primary. (And DO vote in the primary, for fuck's sake!) Vote for Bernie Sanders. (I did!) Vote for the DSA candidate. (I often do.) Vote for the green party, or libertarians, or write in your cool uncle. Whatever! The primary is your time to vote for who you really want. But when it comes to the general election, please vote for the left-most nominee of the party that has a realistic shot at winning. It doesn't always feel good, but there are exactly three options in a first past the post general election:
Voting for the party that can win.
Voting for the other party that can win.
Not participating. You might think your write-in or third party is distinct from Option #3. I regret to inform you that it isn't.
If we were to do this for a decade or so, the GOP would evaporate and the Dems would eventually split into a neoliberal pro-business party and a progressive pro-labor party. Do I want Newsom to be the nominee? Fuck no. I hate that prick. But if he's the one running against Marco Rubio or whoever? Yeah, I can hold my nose and fill in that bubble.
If we fail to do this, we only empower fascists. Look around.
(And BTW, the party more likely to give us Ranked Choice so we don't need to do this is, you guessed it, the Democrats...)
No. I will not vote for a fucking candidate who will not do the bare fucking minimum to protect me as a trans person. Absolutely the fuck not.
I understand your frustration, but if you stick to this, you will be abstaining entirely from the electoral process.
Once again, there are only three choices:
Party that can win.
Other party that can win.
Shooting yourself in the dick.
You seem to be a #3 voter. Is feeling good about shooting yourself in the dick really better than effecting real change? Nah.
voting for the status quo doesn't effect real change
Honestly unless you have ranked choice or similar option, vote and get those you can, for the left most candidates with a chance of winning. Leaping from far right to far left isn't going to happen but will take steps. Don't waste your vote, make it and others count and vote out the republicans/crazy right.
I don't know anyone in this state, including the people I work with who I only talk to when I have to. We banned RCV last election so I'm just gonna keep doing what I've been doing. The Dems lose here by nearly half a million votes even in years where they overall win like 2020 so it's not like it matters. Kind of freeing to vote my conscience at every single level.
Newsome is basically a “moderate” republican at this point, so voting him out in the primary should be everyone’s goal, especially if they want a candidate that isn’t going to alienate significant portions of the voter base.
If you read what I wrote i didn't say to vote for him, in fact I said for the most left person that can win. Its not worth splitting votes on progressives and letting Republicans and right wing win instead. That's how we get maga and trump.
Perfection is nice but reality is more important
Look at what happened in CA. The progressives split and now the govt is once again moderate dem or republican
Sure but, newsome isn’t a progressive, the point is that voting for “moderates” in the primary splits the party and looses elections.
If newsome wins the 2028 primary, dems probably won’t take the majorities they need to actually govern.
I doubt democrats will lose in any situation in 2028 because the economy is going to be in the toilet for another 2 years. But 2032 will probably be another republican victory if someone like newsome is in the White House.
Can you please point to where I said to vote for him? Oh I said the opposite again. Thanks for the strawman again