As a Hillary supporter, I think it's a good thing that she had to go through a hard-fought primary

[Nye Bevan]

on the way to getting the nomination.

Had she been essentially unopposed, without having to really work on a ground game, GOTV efforts, and keep her debating skills on form, I think there might have been more of a complacent air about her campaign. Martha Coakley losing to Scott Walker springs to mind here.

So it was a real competition that I think has helped Hillary on balance by keeping her campaigning skills tuned up and her organization in peak condition, and ready for the real battle against Trump.

[RoccoR5955]

1. It's not over until the convention. n/t

[NurseJackie]

4. Yes it is ... it's over.

[geek tragedy]

5. technically not over until the electoral college, keep hope alive! nt

[Lucinda]

2. She would have been prepared anyway, it's just who she is....but I agree

that it's been good for her. She is more than ready for the GE now!

[BeyondGeography]

3. Bernie gave her campaign a sense of the electorate that it wouldn't have had otherwise

He was also never a real threat to win, so she didn't have to get in the mud and alienate his persuadable supporters, who are the vast majority (people here tell us all the time they aren't persuadable, but their real-world numbers are small and will get smaller). It would be hard to design a more constructive opponent than Bernie, but that's only the first part of the deal. There remain a lot of imponderables surrounding her outreach to them, but I like where things stand now.

[Orsino]

6. I think she's mostly coasted...

...but is a stronger candidate gor having faced a challenge.