Add to that my experience at my caucus yesterday where discussion and debate about the candidates wasn't allowed and you have a VERY rigged system. When we entered the room, we wrote down who we were for (I think this is what is being reported as the WA state caucus "results") and then the time was spent signing up volunteers to go to the county and then state conventions. They stated who they were for, but there was no talking them out of it or convincing them to be for someone else to better represent our precinct. It was a complete waste of time and I'll never participate again.
I hear that.
Who ran each caucus? Here, a caucus consists of precincts of a few thousand households in a given area. If you want to influence any caucus, all one has to do is get a bunch of like minded neighbors to attend and vote. Our leadership also discouraged discussion but that is not their decision. That decision remains with our precinct committeemen or women who are running the caucus.
CO has both caucus and primaries too. But our caucus candidates always get top billing in the primary election and have party activist support. Those candidates who go the primary route don’t always have that. I know of a few state congressmen who have gone the primary route to overcome an entrenched politician. After winning, the next time around they went the caucus route because it’s easier and they had proved themselves.