He did have to leave his independent status and join the Democratic party in order to participate in the primaries. But that was just a formality; he filled out

He did have to leave his independent status and join the Democratic party in order to participate in the primaries. But that was just a formality; he filled out a form. Some people did vote for him. Just nowhere near a majority. A lot of people resented that, and stayed home rather than vote for the primary winner. So she lost, and the rest is very literally history.