This IMO gets it completely wrong. An independent candidate who comes within 2% of a plurality and victory and performs >15% better than the Democrat does not d

This IMO gets it completely wrong. An independent candidate who comes within 2% of a plurality and victory and performs >15% better than the Democrat does not deserve to be called a spoiler. Why does the Democrat deserve the win regardless of what voters evidently want? If anyone is a spoiler, it must be the Democratic candidate. Your reasoning may be well-intentioned, but it is yet more 3rd-party-blaming.