I should have given more details to my thought. The election process is 3/4 complete, to make it simple.

The first 1/4 was to convince enough people that they were a legitimate candidate and that they could in fact best represent the people or the party.

The second 1/4 was to go through and convince the party that they would be whatever and do whatever and be the best leader and gain their support. The primary usually happen during this time.

The 3/4 is to get the full support of the party. Win the convention votes and whatever else. Once that has been secured it turns into the two party system. At this point all of third party candidates start popping up. Most of them are there simply to take votes away from one party or the other.

The final 1/4 is to win the electoral college. So unless those casting their vote in the electoral college put no confidence the whole thing means nothing. The electoral college is why the 2000 election was a big deal. Yes, Gore won the popular vote but lost the electoral college.