Just as quickly as the list of aspirants grew, as quickly it begins to shrink; one by one, some candidates exited the race as they saw no chance of getting anywhere. The narrow path to raise enough money – a curse in American politics (as better organized campaigns and name recognition render most donors unavailable to lesser known aspirants) – and the energy required to stay viable as a candidate were enough incentives to push a few out early and to keep others (on the wing) from jumping into the race.

In spite of the inability to raise money, some candidates (Marianne Williamson, Wayne Messam & a few others) – as of this writing – still have their names on the roster, waiting for an event to provide them the opportunity to emerge from wherever they are. Those candidates might stay in the race ‘till the end, officially even if they do not go out to campaign or to raise money.

To expedite the process of “weeding out” candidates who wobble forward on the campaign trail, the DNC Chair published guidelines which serve as requirements to participate in debates, very important venues for candidates who are looking to display their credentials, wow the audience and attract donors, some of whom either stay on the sideline or are contemplating “switching horse”.