The ranks of Democratic Party moderates have thinned considerably with the withdrawal of candidates Pete Buttigieg, Tom Steyer and Sen. Amy Klobuchar ahead of the Super Tuesday sweepstakes. With only a week left for Missourians to register their preference in the Democratic race, it's more important than ever for them to consider the merits of moderation over the promise-them-anything appeal of far-left candidates.

Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, ranked in our opinion as among the most eloquent and persuasive of the Democratic candidates. The slugfest debates of recent weeks have tended to display the other candidates at their worst, poking sharp criticism at each other instead of focusing their collective message at the biggest danger facing the country — four more years of a Donald Trump presidency.

Even amid heavy distractions and grandstanding in the debates, Buttigieg kept his cool and stayed on message. The other candidates should draw lessons from his campaign technique and strive to tone down the unproductive rhetoric. The only beneficiary of these debate theatrics has been Trump himself.

Buttigieg and Steyer, a billionaire hedge-fund manager, offered cautious platforms to address pressing issues such as health care reform, climate change and economic injustice. Their inexperience in politics at the national level proved to be their ultimate undoing. Klobuchar, of Minnesota, offered national experience and a centrist platform but lacked the necessary name-brand appeal to carry the ticket.

Two moderates remain: former Vice President Joe Biden and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. They're contending against far-left populist Senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. Tuesday night's results almost certainly will cause the field to narrow further, with Warren's campaign already showing signs of fatigue.

This newspaper has decided to delay an endorsement until Tuesday night's results bring what we expect to be greater clarity. Our main concern is that a candidate emerges who not only proves capable of rallying fellow Democrats but who also can lure Republicans disaffected by Trump's irrational policies and crass demeanor.

Sanders offers clear progressive appeal, but his programs are unaffordable and have little likelihood of being approved by Congress. It does the country no good to trade one big-talking, divisive populist for another. Republicans who are thinking of voting Democrat just to get Trump out of office would likely be deterred by a Sanders candidacy in the general election. And as Hillary Clinton's experience proved in 2016, Republicans won't jump over to vote against Trump unless the candidate is someone who conforms roughly to their values and priorities.

Also important is the down-ballot effect of the top candidate. It's not just the presidency at stake but also the balance of the House and Senate. We believe Missouri Democrats are no different from the rest of the nation. They're tired of this wayward experiment in political extremism, divisiveness and populism. Moderation is the key to victory.

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