Robert Reich, the Labor secretary under former President Clinton, said he thinks the 2020 Democratic Primary has been an “overly extended beauty contest” and that only three candidates — former Vice President Joe Biden Joe BidenFormer Pence aide: White House staffers discussed Trump refusing to leave office Progressive group buys domain name of Trump's No. 1 Supreme Court pick Bloomberg rolls out M ad buy to boost Biden in Florida MORE, Sen. Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth WarrenOvernight Defense: Appeals court revives House lawsuit against military funding for border wall | Dems push for limits on transferring military gear to police | Lawmakers ask for IG probe into Pentagon's use of COVID-19 funds On The Money: Half of states deplete funds for Trump's 0 unemployment expansion | EU appealing ruling in Apple tax case | House Democrats include more aid for airlines in coronavirus package Warren, Khanna request IG investigation into Pentagon's use of coronavirus funds MORE (D-Mass.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersSirota reacts to report of harassment, doxing by Harris supporters Republicans not immune to the malady that hobbled Democrats The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - Republicans lawmakers rebuke Trump on election MORE (I-Vt.) — have a shot at winning.

Reich wrote in an op-ed in The Guardian that he thinks the second-tier candidates threaten the success of the party as a whole and that "everyone else is irrelevant" because Biden, Warren and Sanders consistently rank at about 20 percent in polls while their competitors receive only single-digit support.

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“This is nuts,” he wrote. “What’s the point of another three-hour marathon? With so many candidates, all we get are soundbites, gotchas and one-liners.”

“At the same time, second-tier candidates are under growing pressure to take pot shots at the front runners – planting negative stories, poking holes in their plans, building themselves up at their expense,” he wrote. “This may be rational for them but it’s irrational for the Democrats as a whole.”

Reich encouraged Democrats to “hunker down” to focus on campaigning against President Trump Donald John TrumpFederal prosecutor speaks out, says Barr 'has brought shame' on Justice Dept. Former Pence aide: White House staffers discussed Trump refusing to leave office Progressive group buys domain name of Trump's No. 1 Supreme Court pick MORE, adding that the November debate should include Biden, Warren and Sanders only. He encouraged the Democratic National Convention (DNC) to make the qualifications to reach the debate stage stricter.

Warren and Sanders need to distinguish themselves from each other, and Biden needs to back up why the country should return to a pre-Trump political age, according to Reich.

“The stakes could not be higher,” he wrote. “This will be the most important election in modern American history. We – not just Democrats but all Americans – cannot afford to blow it.”

The DNC has increased the qualifications for the November debate, requiring candidates to have at least 165,000 unique donors and reach 3 percent in four or more qualifying polls or 5 percent in two early primary state polls.

Gabbard has regularly criticized the DNC for its qualification process, saying primary leaders “are trying to hijack the entire election process,” and she threatened to boycott the October debate before ultimately appearing at the event.