The Problem with Presidential Primaries Is Fairly Simple. It's Disappointment.

However many candidates are part of the primary race, only one can end up with the nomination. The rest of the candidates do not become the nominee.

It's natural for people to prefer one candidate over another. We support who we support, as enthusiastically as we can. So, if our favorite doesn't become the nominee and has to drop out of the race, we are naturally disappointed.

But, here's the thing: The primary elections are about who can get the most votes from party members who take the time to vote in their state's primary or caucus. As the primary season goes on, we see which candidate is doing the best among however many candidates there are. That candidate accumulates more votes.

That should tell us something. We should pay attention. As the candidates who aren't doing so well decide to drop out, they often endorse another candidate who is doing better. When that happens, most of their supporters follow that endorsement, and we see the endorsed candidate do better in subsequent elections.

The problem is that some supporters of candidates who drop out or who do not do well as the campaign continues continue to be disappointed in the remaining choices and become disillusioned. All the while, it becomes clearer and clearer which candidate is most likely to get the nomination. Why? Because more people are voting for that candidate.

In the end, it will all be about votes, once a nominee is chosen in the primaries and at the convention. At that point, being disappointed has to give way to support for the candidate who has won the nomination by getting more votes than the remaining candidates. While disappointment is natural, it's important not to let it stand in the way of actually winning in the General Election.

We are at the point now in our somewhat interrupted primary campaign when it is down to just two candidates remaining. The one with less votes will probably end up dropping out before the convention, because the other one will clearly be the presumptive nominee. However, even if the nominee still has a competitor, there's the chance of even deeper disappointment among the supporters of the losing competitor. That's why the loser has a responsibility to actively and enthusiastically endorse the nominee.

It's not enough just to concede. That's because disappointment will continue unless the losing candidate offers a solid endorsement of the nominee. Disappointed people often do not vote in the general election, which can lead to a loss by the party's nominee.

That's why, when Bernie Sanders finally concedes to Joe Biden, he needs to endorse Biden enthusiastically and convincingly. Losing is not a real option in 2020. We need all hands on deck.