This stands in stark contrast to 2020, where more Democratic candidates ran for the presidential nomination than America has seen since the advent of the modern primary system – almost 30 (give or take a few who didn’t). were not so serious). Democrats feared the crowded primary would undercut donors, force candidates to take positions that could hurt them in the general election and provide fodder for offensive ads.

But Biden won in 2020 and Harris lost in 2024.

This is not the only example for Democrats. Al Gore quickly won the nomination in 2000, then lost. Ditto for John Kerry in 2004. Then, in 2008, Barack Obama beat Hillary Clinton in a grueling, toss-up, drawn-out primary, and went on to win. In 2016, Clinton had a somewhat competitive primary against Bernie Sanders, but lost.

Overall, recent elections seem to indicate that having a competitive Democratic primary in which candidates can present their theory of the election and give voters the final say seems to have worked better than trying to rush through the primary and without any obstacle. fireworks.