ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the candidate selection process in more detail, highlighting the effect of strategic candidates' entry decisions on the theory itself. It argues that the fact that the differences in the amount of polarization of the candidates are so tiny explains the effect of primary type on the ideology of the resultant winning candidates: primary type matters in terms of polarization of emerging candidates, but not very much. The chapter shows that candidates do, indeed, respond differentially to different primary types. In open and nonpartisan primaries, candidates tend to be more moderate, meaning that these theoretically more moderate electorates have moderate candidates from which to choose. If primaries are producing significantly different levels of polarization, that means that parties must be producing different types of candidates under different primary types. To assess the effect of primary type on district-level candidate polarization, the chapter details the polarization of the general election candidates within a district.
