Questions of viability, party officials say, have become overwhelming to the point that activists are uncertain about following their instincts out of fear they will nominate someone who will lose to Mr. Trump. “We’re so traumatized by 2016 that we’re afraid to trust our hearts and that’s turning us all into pundits,” said Adam Jentleson, a longtime Senate Democratic aide who supports Ms. Warren. “There were artificially high expectations early on because there was so much interest in her in 2016,” said Jennifer Palmieri, a top aide to Mrs. Clinton in the last race. “Everybody loves you when you’re the one who’s not in the race, and once you get in you’re a mortal and have to slog it out. That doesn’t mean you can’t come back and win — it’s just a different type of race.”

Source: New York Times March 31, 2019 09:00 UTC