the FIRST TEST(S)... plural
the first tests to determine if a candidate
for President of the United States
should/will become the next
.... President of the United States.
1. assembling campaign staff and outlining strategies/"message".
2. raising money
3. spending money
4. handling "winning" (maximizing)
5. handling "losing" (minimizing/rebounding)
6. how/when to "attack"
7. how/when to "defend"
this process unfolds sporadically over only a few weeks or months for all but the most ardent politicophiles, and even then many of the nuances of decision-making are knowable only in retrospect.
the 'tip of the iceberg' is always the candidate, while most of the heavy lifting is done by others, but even that is reflective of the candidate's abilities to adopt, adapt, and improve, but most importantly of all, manage money.
and if all that is successful enough, the candidate becomes the nominee who then makes what is called the "first truly 'Presidential' decision", the selection of a running-mate. and by it, and informed by the sum-total of so many decisions and actions that preceded it, the electorate should know quite a lot about the character and abilities of the respective nominees.
combining that assessment with the realities of political demography in relation to the perceived current/future state of world affairs, the nominees' pre-campaign records, and proposed policies, should make the decision an easy one for any voter who knows what they truly want.
