From Voting to Tech Innovation, California Ranks First at Second Best

Whether in Sacramento, Silicon Valley, or El Segundo, Golden Staters Now Prefer to Follow the Leader

The world over, people long to finish first. But in California, it’s better to be second best.

This is the larger truth at the center of the Golden State’s June 5 first-round elections for governor, a U.S. senator, and other statewide and legislative offices. Under our peculiar system, the top two finishers in each race both advance to the November runoff election.

In practice, this rule means that virtually all campaigning is about who finishes second. At the moment, the California airwaves are full of ads, many of them deceptive, and all …