No political party wants to lose an election. But there are some losses they are prepared to live with, others they are desperate to avoid. Among other things, this reflects in how the party top brass allocates its energies during simultaneously unfolding campaigns.
So, where and how the two main national parties are deploying their principal brand ambassadors in the five states going to polls should say something about their stakes and self-assessed chances and what they think of their leaders’ appeal in those states.