Jeb Bush has had a brutal few weeks, it’s true. And the vultures are circling. But he’s not the only presidential contender who this exact description applies to—and 12 years ago, it wasn’t the end. It was the start of a comeback story.

I’m talking about John Kerry ’04.

It wasn’t that long ago when the current Secretary of State was wandering aimlessly in the Iowa cornfields, getting nowhere in the Democratic presidential primary and watching his political obituary being written before his eyes. You think it’s sad that Jeb Bush is at 4 percent? Kerry was at 4 percent in a national CBS poll 27 days before the Iowa caucuses. Which he won.

The lesson: You can be an uninspiring establishment candidate and still win the nomination. How? By being the last candidate left standing.