I have no problem with Time Magazine putting Mr. Trump on its list of finalists for person of the year. The person of the year is not based on who we agree with, or disagree with, but on who has had the most influence. There is no doubt Mr. Trump earned his place as a person of great influence. In fact, he has had more influence on the Republican Party than any other Republican, and whether we agree with his views or not he has earned a place on the list of finalists for that reason alone.

I do have a huge problem with Time Magazine editors including Mr. Trump while rejecting Mr. Sanders—who has had more influence than any other candidate on the direction of the Democratic Party. Whether a Democrat supports Hillary Clinton or Mr. Sanders, he has been the candidate driving the debate, and she has been the candidate reacting to his leadership on one great progressive issue after another, time after time, day after day, week after week, month after month.

In a recent column I argued with supporting data that Bernie Sanders can fairly stake a claim to being the most electable candidate for president in either party. I cited polling that supports his right to make this claim, which suggests that in the eyes of voters Mr. Sanders is more electable than Ms. Clinton, Mr. Trump, Ben Carson, Sen. Marco Rubio and Sen. Ted Cruz.

In most polling Mr. Sanders would defeat Mr. Trump by margins that, in some cases, reach epic landslide proportion. Again, I have no problem giving Mr. Trump his due by including him in the list of Time Magazine finalists, but since Mr. Sanders in most cases would defeat Mr. Trump in general election polling, the Sanders influence is not just within his party but across the nation as a whole—giving him a right equal to or greater than Mr. Trump to be included on a list of most influential people.