It happens every presidential election. A promising candidate joins the race, makes a splash, and surges in the polls. But they can’t sustain the momentum, and their popularity dips. With diminished media exposure, fundraising stalls and the campaign shuts down. All before a single vote has been cast.

Sen. Kamala Harris of California is the latest candidate to suffer from our misguided campaign finance laws. She ended her campaign for president on Dec. 3. “Ms. Harris said she would have needed to raise $5 million in two weeks,” the New York Times reported, “a goal she described as impossible. ‘I just don’t want to bullshit you,’ she said.”