I suspect we will find the next few years that conveying authenticity is the coin of the (national election) real - unfortunately, I don’t know that the Dems really have anyone (eligible) with much of that.

Not to read this and jump straight to “actually it was this,” but I think their flaw is assuming policy ever had much to do with it. I think it might just be as simple as: voters understood Dems were trying to force a demented candidate, and switching last minute to an unpopular backup failed badly