[gnaritas]

You're making the incorrect assumption that people want the same thing for their local government as for their national government; this isn't correct. One should expect centrist candidates to dominate national elections and more extreme candidates to win state and local elections. When you're trying to sell something to the whole nation, the more bland, the more it'll sell, extreme is niche, this applies in music, movies, and political candidates.

Local candidates answer to local populations, they should be what that population wants; national candidates have to represent everyone, they should not be extreme in any direction or they'll be despised and hated by half the population that swings the other way.