Recently, Jim Webb has dropped out of the Democratic primary and on “The Joe Piscopo Show,” he announced that he is now “seriously considering” an independent run.

Although independents typically don’t get higher than 20 percent of the vote in elections, Webb justifies his consideration with his middle of the road principles which put him at odds with both parties. Given how unforgiving the election system is to third party candidates, it is unlikely that he will bother to run.

He and Lincoln Chaffee both dropped out of the Democratic primary after lackluster performances in the first debate. Unlike Webb, Chaffee has made no sign of continuing, saying that Hillary Clinton had a “good week” on CNN. Of course, Chaffee’s performance was terrible, so anyone in comparison had a good week.

As Stephen Colbert said, “They fought bravely against obscurity, but ultimately…. Who are we talking about, again?” And like a candlelight in a fully lit room in the middle of the day, they vanished without a trace.

Martin O’Malley, the third candidate who was also under near one percent in the national polls has yet to drop out of the race. Like Webb and Chaffee, he struggles to get attention in a primary race dominated by Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

He also failed to get a stand out moment in the debate, and while his ideas are unique in emphasis, they aren’t in the general course of action. All three candidates now claim similar promises of actions on climate change, women’s health and campaign finance reform. It is unlikely that he will win.

However, O’Malley should still stick to the campaign because his success should not be judged on likelihood to win but rather in his likability as CP to complement the winning candidate. People who watch the debates or follow the candidates would also know who he is so it makes selecting him easier to justify.

Additionally, it would not be the first time that a presidential race ended with the vice presidency. Joe Biden ran in 2008 and became the current vice president, and he nearly had  entered the race with what many experts would have called a winning path to the presidency.

Republican political commentators have even suggested that some of the current candidates like Carly Fiorina would also be viable candidates for vice president.

While candidates sometimes pick their vice president from the senators or representatives in swing states, the popularity of the outsider is likely to make ideas take precedent over position, and O’Malley is just that as a former governor.