system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: why do so many people run for president when it's obvious they aren't going to win?

Cruz and Sanders must know they aren't going to win, right? What's the point of running?
gpt
To boost their own credibility. Sure they won't win, but they're making a name for themselves and making themselves known. It's what they say and how they say that generally drives people to see what they're capable of and what they want enacted if (but very unlikely) they become President. If they can't be elected (and they won't), they can at least say they ran for President and will try to use their influence on a smaller level before they ran.