Voters in different states seem to work together to test their nominee, and to make sure that he is not just handed the nomination, even if they ultimately like him a great deal.
Senator Kerry racked up another victory, but Senator Edwards's second-place showing made it easier for him to argue that the 29 days since the Iowa caucuses have not been enough time to pick his party's best-tested nominee.
Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York, a Clinton supporter and head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said the roughhousing would ultimately lead to a stronger, more battle-tested nominee in the fall.
The poll tested four Republican possible nominees against the President.
Compression of the primary season defeats the value of the primaries: to let voters across America vet candidates over time while testing the eventual nominee.
Should Hillary Clinton end up heading the Democratic ticket in 2016, she would be the most qualified, most fully prepared, most thoroughly tested non-incumbent major-party nominee for President since Henry Clay.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Republican National Committee approved a plan on Friday seeking to avoid a stampede of early primaries in the next presidential campaign by pushing back the contests one month to extend the nominating season and produce a nominee who is tested in all parts of the country.
Whoever the nominee is against John McCain, I, for one, want my nominee to be battle tested and a warrior going into the fall election".
"I think we need a nominee who's been tested and vetted," she said.
Mr. Rubin suggested that it was unwise to choose a nominee who had not been tested by other campaigns.
The three Republicans agreed that the embargo on Cuba should not be lifted until democracy is given a chance there, and said they would not apply an abortion-rights litmus test to nominees to the United States Supreme Court.
