The advantage of having appointed senators is it keeps the power in the hands of the state government and out of the hands of the political radicals who vote in primaries. Ted Cruz would be a senator if he had was appointed, he can only win because primaries have low turnout and the republican will win the general in Texas unless he or she is truly flawed. Our primary system is a major factor in how polarized our politics are. The primaries select candidates that appeal to the left or the right but never the middle.