I am an advocate of primaries. Anything that increases participation in our democracy is a good thing. Saying it better than I ever could is Frank O’Leary, the Treasurer in Arlington:
The closed caucus (aka the “smoke-filled room”) is an insiders’ game.
[…]
The firehouse primary is a move in the right direction. While selection of a candidate occurs at only a single location, those participating in the process are free to cast a vote…
[…]
A pure primary takes place at all the established polling places throughout a jurisdiction…maximizing voter participation.
Head on over and read the whole thing. And if there was any doubt in your mind about primaries before, I doubt there will be any after reading it. Great diary, Ingrid!
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
don’t want to hijack the thread but what are your thoughts on party registration
NM – I’m not a fan of party registration.
primaries are great, i have never seen such a closed political system such as va., i spent 8 years in san diego, cal. and having a open system is great, it is good for a canidate to be tested before the genreal election, sometimes you even get great upsets and unknowns who become superstars.
Ditto on the closed system comment.