The stretch behind him disambiguates the smaller players... it is not as if the Presidency is, or ought to be, the post of High God Of The United States. (That is a silly position that the inflation of the Federal government has gotten the country into.) The smaller players will likely have important parts of their own.
In most presidential elections, I can understand that. They might bring to the fore certain issues that might otherwise be overlooked.
But what important parts might they play in this election?