Bennett, by the way, places himself in the optimists' camp. So much so that when he ran against Joe Cannon in the 1992 Republican primary for Senate, his advisers urged him — three weeks before the election — to go negative. Bennett said he resisted because he believed his ad strategy was working. Besides, "I have to live with myself when this is over. I'm not going to do it," he recalled.

That's perhaps the most important lesson of all for candidates come Wednesday morning. Did I comport myself on the campaign trail in an honorable way? Can I still look myself in the mirror? Was my campaign effective, win or lose?

Candidates who are not elected are perhaps some of the most important players in the political process. They force incumbents not to take their positions for granted. They make incumbents justify their previous term or terms in office. They give the electorate a choice.

I'm not so naive that I'm certain they'd trade all that in a heartbeat for a victory. But having a choice is what makes our system of government so remarkable. How the candidates go about persuading us to vote for them is the price we and they must pay.

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Marjorie Cortez, who would prefer more town meetings and fewer glossy brochures stuffed in her mailbox, is a Deseret Morning News editorial writer.