Yes. The democratic ideal is self-rule of the people. The candidate who wins is identified as the most legitimate because we identify the will of the majority

Yes. The democratic ideal is self-rule of the people. The candidate who wins is identified as the most legitimate because we identify the will of the majority with the will of the people. Ultimately, the people affirm the power of the political class. I don't know of anyone who has a concrete way to associate the idea of democracy with a particular method of public will-formation. However, this does violate the norm of political equality. The choices available reflect natural differences in status among candidates - there isn't an equal or nominally equal path to candidacy for all people. And I think the status quo challenges the claim that America is a liberal democracy. Rather than creating a democracy that promotes and respects Liberal-Humanitarian freedoms (speech, right to property, religion, safety and security), the elite political community has made American non-elites their enemy (or at least their opposition). Political taste makers are not committed to a State that has the power to protect those freedoms. The GOP fights unions and the DNC-Google fight Damore and both are victories that affirm the right of consolidated power to make decisions for other people.