The Grim Indignities of Running for Second Place

Washington Post: “The 2024 Republican nominating contest can seem almost absurdist when the odds of beating Trump are juxtaposed with the on-the-ground reality of competing in a national primary — an almost physically painful slog of long hours, donor phone calls, copious town halls and punishing press interactions.”

“Operatives and candidates on previous losing campaigns say the national march to not winning the nomination is grueling. But at least in cycles past, the conclusion has never felt quite so foregone.”