[nitzy]

My theory is that Trump is being used as an excuse. They knew all along that a GOPe candidate had no chance of winning the nomination and someone like a Carson or Cruz would dominate. Trump is easy to vilify. He is a convenient scapegoat.

"We couldn't let that guy win. He says terrible things. You understand why we had to cheat, don't you?"

[fg566asd]

No, Carson, and Cruz are just spliters who would have been destroyed by Jeb/Walker/Rubio.

See sundance’s work on the subject. Trump has a broad cross-section of appeal similar to an establishment candidate’s. Cruz and Carson are mostly religious voters, similar to huckabee/santorum’s bases before.