Electability?

The more I hear about “electability,” the more it seems to be something like beauty, because it appears to be a quality that lies in the eye of the beholder. 

However, from my experience, we don't always know all that much about presidential candidates' electability until we've seen them on the campaign trail for a while, making speeches, answering tough questions, debating, etc. In other words, watching how they react to pressure.

Issues aside, does being in the spotlight flatter them? Or does it tend to reveal their worst side?

So in late-May of 2019 it's wise for Democrats to refrain from bashing too harshly the 2020 presidential hopefuls with whom they disagree with the most, or the ones they deem to be less electable than their favorite(s). By the end of the summer we'll all have a lot more to go on than we do now, electability-wise. 

After Labor Day, several of the 23 hopefuls will probably have thrown in the towel, or displayed their abundant lack of electability for all to see. Meanwhile, anything that “lies in the eye of the beholder” remains something to consider carefully.

-- Image from 538