As Democratic voters agonized over a historically large field of potential presidential candidates, virtually every one put Sen. Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth WarrenNo new taxes for the ultra rich — fix bad tax policy instead Democrats back away from quick reversal of Trump tax cuts It's time for newspapers to stop endorsing presidential candidates MORE (D-Mass.) in a category of her own. Whether they were fans or not, liberal or centrist, voters universally loved that Warren offered so many detailed plans and such a robust agenda.

But the one plan Warren struggled so much to articulate was the most important to voters eager to oust President Trump Donald John TrumpBarr criticizes DOJ in speech declaring all agency power 'is invested in the attorney general' Military leaders asked about using heat ray on protesters outside White House: report Powell warns failure to reach COVID-19 deal could 'scar and damage' economy MORE in November: How she could win what in their minds is the most important election of their lives.

In dozens of conversations around the country this year, voters kept returning to the central question of electability, each with their own definitions of what made a candidate more or less viable than their rivals.

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Supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersSenate Republicans signal openness to working with Biden Hillicon Valley: DOJ indicts Chinese, Malaysian hackers accused of targeting over 100 organizations | GOP senators raise concerns over Oracle-TikTok deal | QAnon awareness jumps in new poll Schumer, Sanders call for Senate panel to address election security MORE (I-Vt.) argued his ability to drive new voters to the polls made him the best candidate against Trump. Fans of former Vice President Joe Biden Joe BidenThe Memo: Warning signs flash for Trump on debates Senate Republicans signal openness to working with Biden National postal mail handlers union endorses Biden MORE pointed to his appeals to blue-collar voters in Midwestern states. Those who backed Sen. Amy Klobuchar Amy KlobucharEPA delivers win for ethanol industry angered by waivers to refiners It's time for newspapers to stop endorsing presidential candidates Biden marks anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act, knocks Trump and McConnell MORE (D-Minn.) pointed to her unblemished record of electoral success in an increasingly swing state. Warren fans were smitten with her plans for everything.

“I think she’s incredibly intelligent. She’s got a plan for everything,” said Kyle Siefers, a mental health professional in Des Moines who caucused for Warren.

Many voters tried to put themselves in the minds of swing centrists who will determine the race, choosing a candidate in their caucus or primary more for those who would come later than for their own ideological edification.

Warren seemed to recognize she was losing that internal struggle in voters’ minds: In the closing weeks of her campaign, she urged voters to think in the present, and to cast a vote that would make them proud.

But voters kept returning to what they perceived as Warren’s political shortcomings.

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Some questioned whether a woman could win the White House, even as they relished the idea of a woman beating Trump, in spite of Democratic wins in 2018 fueled by female voters and female candidates.

“The way the nation is now, we have to be represented by a male, someone who's going to get down and dirty with Donald Trump, because he's going to fight below the waist, we already know that,” said Tony Hopkins, a retired school teacher in Nevada who caucused for Biden. “I’m tired of dealing with the devil.”

Some wondered whether the party would make a mistake by nominating another Massachusetts liberal, the searing memories of John Kerry John Forbes KerryThe Memo: Warning signs flash for Trump on debates Divided country, divided church TV ads favored Biden 2-1 in past month MORE and Michael Dukakis still fresh in their minds.

“I like the progressive candidates and their ideas a lot, but I also like the idea of not polarizing things more,” Mia Power, a junior at Iowa State University, said of Warren at a pre-caucus stop in Ames. Power ultimately caucused for Klobuchar.

In the end, the faction of liberal voters who want a revolution opted for Sanders, and the more moderate Democrats who just want to win coalesced behind Biden.

“She has a strong message of big, structural change and Democratic voters decided they just wanted to beat Trump without taking the risk that big structural change could alienate swing voters we need on the general,” said Martha McKenna, a Democratic strategist in Baltimore.

History might have played out differently, had Warren heeded the entreaties of progressives back in 2016. Then, they wanted her to mount a campaign against Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonBarr criticizes DOJ in speech declaring all agency power 'is invested in the attorney general' Virginia Democrat blasts Trump's 'appalling' remark about COVID-19 deaths in 'blue states' The Hill's Campaign Report: Biden asks if public can trust vaccine from Trump ahead of Election Day | Oklahoma health officials raised red flags before Trump rally MORE; even Sanders, Warren’s ideological ally in the Senate, publicly urged her to get into the race, only jumping in himself once Warren made clear she would not run.

Instead, Sanders’s 2016 campaign became the grassroots foundation for his 2020 run, when he raised more money, recruited more volunteers and in the end claimed more votes than Warren.

Had Warren run in 2016, she would have started the 2020 race with the behemoth organization that has kept Sanders at or near the top of the field. And while Sanders has struggled to add to his coalition from four years ago, Warren might have found more success.

The lesson in Warren’s decision to wait is the same lesson illustrated by the opposite decision taken by a rookie senator in 2008. After just a few years in the Senate, Barack Obama Barack Hussein ObamaGOP senator blocks Schumer resolution aimed at Biden probe as tensions run high D-Day for Trump: September 29 Obama says making a voting plan is part of 'how to quarantine successfully' MORE saw an opening and leapt at it.

But Obama is the exception, rather than the rule. The odds of any one candidate actually winning a party’s nomination are slim. Sens. Kamala Harris Kamala HarrisNational postal mail handlers union endorses Biden The Hill's Campaign Report: Biden asks if public can trust vaccine from Trump ahead of Election Day | Oklahoma health officials raised red flags before Trump rally Jim Carrey to play Biden on 'Saturday Night Live' MORE (D-Calif.), Cory Booker Cory Anthony BookerDemocratic lawmakers call for an investigation into allegations of medical neglect at Georgia ICE facility Black Voters Matter Fund deploying voter outreach caravans in 12 states to drive turnout Philanthropist Susan Sandler investing 0M in social justice organizations MORE (D-N.J.) and Kirsten Gillibrand Kirsten GillibrandSuburban moms are going to decide the 2020 election Jon Stewart urges Congress to help veterans exposed to burn pits The Hill's Campaign Report: 19 years since 9/11 | Dem rival to Marjorie Taylor Greene drops out | Collin Peterson faces fight of his career | Court delivers blow to ex-felon voting rights in Florida MORE (D-N.Y.) were among the two dozen candidates who found that out this year.

Still, no one wins a race in which they do not run. There’s no plan for that.

On The Trail is a reported column by Reid Wilson, primarily focused on the 2020 elections.