Here's how we should select our nominees:
Have three national (50 individual contests) primaries during each presidential cycle.
The first set of primaries should be held last week of January and is meant to weed out the pretenders. Anybody receiving 10% or more of the vote in a given state will move on to that state's second primary.
Around end of March, we will have our second set of (50) primaries. This time, only those with 20% or more of the vote will move on. In most cases, this will be only 2-3 candidates for each state.
Then in early June, have the third set of primaries and apportion delegates accordingly (not winner take all). The candidates will take those delegates to the convention and a nominee will be chosen.
Good idea. It might be hard to implement, but good idea.