Another potential pro if you’re in a shitty state: if I had to guess, there’s less of a chance of “accidentally” being removed from voter rolls if you’re registered R.

The big con, tho, is that it will be impossible to move the Overton window left if everyone did this, because establishment Democrats would always win.

I used to do this when Dem candidates were similar and it ultimately wouldn’t matter, but now, I want to primary the hell out of any non-progressive democratic candidate since they’re way too much like republicans.

Especially important in states that "accidentally" remove people from the voting registers based on their party affiliation.

I think there are exceptions - for instance, as a masshole, I feel that it’s really important for anyone even slightly left of center to do the DNC primary, because in MA, it’s important for us to fight against the DNC establishment. They’re demonstrably captive opposition.

I used to do this but have since moved to a open primary state

Another advantage is youre less likely to be purged from voting rolls because you're one of them.

Really this is a good idea. Only the craziest redhats and most senile elderly show up for the republican primary. A few people can make a difference.

Sorry no. The primary options for dems can vary wildly in quality. Sure even the worst is not a nutball like post maga republicans have been but still its nice to try and get as best as possible.

I do the exact same thing. The other advantage is that although im in a blue state, im in a red area and so my primary vote may have a tiny influence on which Republicans get elected in my local government.

This is a good strategy, if you support the establishment democrats. Also, there is literally not a single Republican, in today’s world, that would be preferable to a Democrat. If you vote for the least MAGA in a primary, good for you. But by doing so, you allow establishment dems to continue their controlled opposition. So are you really doing anything useful?

How can one call themselves an independent, unless they are saying that they don’t subscribe to any one particular left-leaning belief/party? I used to call myself that, when I was politically ignorant. Then I realized the active harm one does when they even consider a right wing point of view.

Been doing this for years. It's the only way I can get my vote to count.

This strategy can be significantly more impactful than just voting D in primaries especially in areas like mine where there's usually only one D candidate (or zero) and multiple R.

There are, however, 2 downsides:

1. once you primary as the opposite party, you can't to be mindful not to run afoul of "crossover voting" laws by then participating in runoffs for any other party.

2. If you decide to get involved in politics yourself, there can be bylaws style rules that say you must have voted in the "proper" primary (or did not vote at all) for the last 3 or 5 years to show you are not a DINO-type candidate.