In presidential years, Washington elects a partisan statewide office called Commissioner of Public Lands. Recently a Washington Democratic State Senator, Rebecca Saldana, withdrew from the primary, because otherwise there would have been four strong Democratic candidates for that office, and only two Republicans for the same office. She withdrew because she was afraid the top-two system would result in the two Republicans placing first and second, thus depriving any Democrat from being on the November ballot.

This article says the same thing happened to the Democratic Party in 2016, in the State Treasurer’s race; and it happened to the Republican Party in 2020 in the Lieutenant Governor’s race; and it happened to the Republican Party in the 2020 special election for Secretary of State. Thanks to Fairvote for the link.