As Bernie Sanders crisscrossed the country this year doling out endorsements for Democratic candidates, observers inevitably noted that there was one candidate in particular that he declined to support: Levi Sanders, his only biological son, who launched a long-shot campaign for New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District. Bernie, of course, framed his silence in moral terms. While the two boast virtually identical political beliefs, the elder Sanders repeatedly insisted that he would not dabble in “dynastic politics,” an all-American tradition responsible for generations of terrible politicians. “He’s on his own. He’s going to speak to the people of New Hampshire, and I’m sure he’s going to do very well,” Sanders predicted, optimistically. But Levi did not: In Tuesday’s Democratic primary, the son of Sanders placed seventh out of 11 candidates, taking less than 2 percent of the vote. (The victor, Chris Pappas, won roughly 42 percent.)

While some may wonder if his father’s political distance contributed to his loss, New Hampshire politicos argued that defeat was inevitable: Levi, after all, lived about an hour outside of the district, and has a history of losing local elections, once finishing in seventh place in his bid for the Claremont city council. As The Boston Globe reported in February, nearly all of Bernie’s campaign aides, advisers, and allies in New Hampshire warned Levi—whose title on his father’s campaign was senior policy analyst—not to run, and not to expect their endorsements if he did. Jeff Weaver, Bernie’s presidential campaign manager, could barely disguise his disdain: “[He] really doesn’t know much, to be honest with you.”

Levi, for his part, has tried his best to separate his own accomplishments from those of his father, repeatedly joking that he wasn’t Bernie’s son, but the “the son of Larry David’s fourth cousin.” (Please clap.) But his sheer lack of political acumen soon became apparent after he announced his candidacy in February, too late in the cycle to win endorsements from like-minded progressives, and his campaign subsequently hauled in less than $35,000 in fund-raising. (“I made a conscience [sic] decision that I’m not going to take money from corporations, from lobbyists,” he told the Daily Beast, which pointed out that his father raised prodigious millions through small donations.) Even worse, the younger Sanders failed to register among New Hampshire voters, who told the Beast that they would have preferred a candidate who actually lived in the district. A questionable performance in last month’s Democratic primary debate, per The New York Times, did little to improve his chances. He tended toward shouting, and interrupted other candidates so frequently that the moderator threatened to cut off his microphone. His interactions with voters outside the hall were no better:

As the night wore on, it became increasingly clear that Mr. Sanders was also prone to unusual turns of phrase.

When told that he seemed less than relaxed, he replied: “I’m not stiff. I do yoga.”

Asked to define himself, he offered, “I am not a Romulan. I am not a Vulcan.” (“Star Trek!” he cried, when his reference was met with a blank stare.)

He tried again. “I am a sentient being,” he said.

Levi may take some comfort in not being the only child Bernie has snubbed: earlier this year, the Vermont senator declined to endorse his stepdaughter, Carina Driscoll, during her campaign for his old job, mayor of Burlington. Sadly, the parallels end there. Driscoll had ample credentials in city government, won several local endorsements, and finished the race with a respectable 35 percent of the vote. New Hampshire politicos, meanwhile, are still unsure whether Bernie’s vote of confidence in his “sentient being” of a son would have done much. As Dean Spiliotes, a civic scholar at Southern New Hampshire University, told CBS News, “Levi’s candidacy has been a bit of curiosity.”