I first heard she was dropping out of the Democratic primary on CNN. Angry and disappointed at how unfairly she’d been treated, I called my grandmother — another ardent supporter. She agreed. If she had been a man, my grandma said, she would have gotten farther. She would have been the nominee. She was so qualified and she would have been one of our greatest presidents. Now, she was an also-ran.

I’m not taking about Kamala Harris, who dropped out of the Democratic primary today. I’m talking about Hillary Clinton. It was 2008, Hillary conceded the primary to then Senator Barack Obama, and I was heartbroken.

Kamala Harris supporters are understandably devastated today. It’s a feeling I know all too well, having fought the most contentious Democratic primary in the past 25 years on Team Hillary. I was in college, a mere volunteer on her campaign, but I felt every up and down of that emotional rollercoaster for more than a year.

I first saw Hillary Clinton speak in 2007, at a conference in Washington. Most of my friends went to see Barack Obama, who was speaking at that same conference at roughly the same time. A Republican friend of mine, feeling bad that I was going to go alone, accompanied me. From that speech — so cogent, so thoughtful, so inspiring — I was a believer.

At her Bowling Green, Kentucky field office I made cold calls to Democratic voters in Montana, Arizona, and a dozen other states spreading the gospel of Hillary. I knocked on doors in Kentucky and Tennessee, explaining to voters why experience mattered more than youth and soaring oratory. I debated with friends, argued with family, and threw my hands up at the superdelegate system (which, in a weird twist of fate, would help her win the nomination in 2016).

I cried as I watched her concession speech. Hillary told us she was supporting Barack Obama, but I couldn’t be so graceful in defeat.

Kamala Harris calls Tulsi Gabbard apologist for Syrian president who kills his citizens 'like cockroaches'

When Obama staffers approached me to doorstep for him, I refused, embittered by what I saw as an upstart whose time hadn’t come steal the nomination from the seasoned veteran whose had. When friends asked me to help run an Obama booth at a festival, I smugly and vindictively declined. Republican friends, seeing how surly I had become towards my party’s nominee, began talking to me about the war hero their party was nominating. John McCain had the experience I then thought was necessary to make a good president, and I briefly considered voting against everything I believed in — partly because I thought Obama was unready, but mostly to spite him.

When John McCain introduced the world to Sarah Palin, it was shocking, the type of Hail Mary play that can reinvigorate a campaign. That first speech Palin gave in Dayton was electrifying. I began to think that maybe a woman would make it to the White House.

Then… she went off-script. When Sarah Palin started talking about creationism, and how close Russia was to Alaska, and, well, anything at all, I snapped back to my senses. This woman was manifestly unfit for office, a dangerous fringe figure who would be an existential threat to the very institutions we hold dear.

Sound familiar?

It wasn’t long after Sarah Palin’s ill-fated interview with Katie Couric that I worked my first booth for Barack Obama. Sitting there, with my former rivals-turned-fellow-campaigners, I felt incredibly silly for taking so long to see the light. Obama was leaps and bounds better than not only Palin, but McCain, too. As a Democrat and progressive, I couldn’t believe I had been so juvenile as to let a primary loss almost drive me into the problematic arms of the GOP. On November 4th 2008, I proudly voted for America’s first black president.

Which brings me back to Kamala Harris. I know how gutted her supporters are today. No one expects you to endorse someone else tomorrow or to fly to Iowa to doorstep for another candidate. You need a little time to lick your wounds.

The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 25 1 /25 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has launched a second bid for president after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He is running on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Joe Biden The former vice president recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well and has since maintained a front runner status in national polling EPA The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator is a progressive Democrat, and a major supporter of regulating Wall Street Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg, a late addition to the 2020 race, announced his candidacy after months of speculation in November. He has launched a massive ad-buying campaign and issued an apology for the controversial "stop and frisk" programme that adversely impacted minority communities in New York City when he was mayor Getty Images The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but has faced tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Pete Buttigieg The centrist Indiana mayor and war veteran would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Deval Patrick The former Massachusetts governor launched a late 2020 candidacy and received very little reception. With just a few short months until the first voters flock to the polls, the former governor is running as a centrist and believes he can unite the party's various voting blocs AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He ran on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kamala Harris The former California attorney general was introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions’ testimony. She has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has focused on restoring kindness and civility in American politics throughout his campaign, though he has failed to secure the same level of support and fundraising as several other senators running for the White House in 2020 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam said he intended to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord Vice News The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that “healthcare should be a right, not a privilege” Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Andrew Yang The entrepreneur announced his presidential candidacy by pledging that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a “special meaning” for the Latino community in the US Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intended to make gun control central to his campaign but dropped out after his team said it was clear there was no path to victory Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house. He dropped out of the race after not polling well in key states Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid was centred around climate change AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado aimed to sell himself as an effective leader who was open to compromise, but failed to make a splash on the national stage Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan ran on a campaign that hinged on his working class roots, though his messaging did not appear to resonate with voters Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tom Steyer Democratic presidential hopeful billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is a longtime Democratic donor AFP/Getty

But learn from mistakes in 2008. The stakes were high then, and they’re higher now. Donald Trump has spent the past three years proving he’s a million times worse than what we ever imagined Sarah Palin would be. We were fighting to keep her out of the White House; we’re fighting to get Trump out of it.

The eventual nominee will need more than your vote, they’ll need your enthusiastic support. So lick your wounds for a little while, but then get back to work — it’s what Hillary did, and it’s what Kamala would want.