Whatever the outcome of Tuesday’s crowded congressional and statewide contests in California, the results are unlikely to heal a longstanding national schism: Political parties in the Golden State have never played the same role as their counterparts in the East.

California has a proud tradition of independent voters and weak, often irrelevant political parties. The parties do not (with rare exceptions) run machines, anoint candidates, produce strong leaders, turn out big votes or elicit great loyalty. Instead of gnashing teeth over the uncontrollable “jungle primary,” national pundits might do better to understand the fundamental reality of politics in California.

The state’s current system, where the top two finishers in the June election advance to a runoff regardless of party, is anathema to those who presume the November ballot should have a Democrat-Republican face-off. Yet that has actually not been the case for a large chunk of California’s statehood.

Between 1914 and 1959, Democrats and Republicans “cross-filed” and ran in each other’s primaries. For most of that time, ballots did not even indicate party affiliation. State parties could not endorse candidates until after the primary. By then, incumbents had often won both primaries and ran in November unopposed.