First, let’s start with the obvious. A party should always run a good candidate. Here, I should add a caveat that a flawed person can be a good candidate and a flawed candidate can be a good person. When I ran for office, I was far from the stereotype of a political candidate after serving eight years in prison. Voters still placed their trust in me. Why? From my conversations with voters, I’ve been told is because of what I did after getting released, because of my ideas, and my experience. With that in mind, it is hard to understand why someone like Winsome Earle-Sears in Virginia lost after her disastrous debates. Or, why Cuomo, a sexual harasser who sent many elders to their death during the COVID pandemic, lost to the charismatic, disciplined Mayor-Elect Mamdani? If you’re a party leader, you should consider supporting candidates who are willing to put in the work to improve themselves and are committed to public service over special interests.