The primary problem is finding a likely candidate who has the organization and financing to run. (Or, the ability to develop the organization and financing.) People who are successful start in lower office and develop the contacts they need. It isn’t enough for somebody to say, hey, there’s a winnable seat somebody go for it.
We’ve seen conservative candidates fail because, while sincere, they have no political acumen. The press will be after them and will attempt to trick them so you get people saying things like women who are raped don’t get pregnant or equally idiotic comments. These get played up and no matter how good the candidate they are viewed as toxic to the 11 percent of the voters in the middle who are neither Democrats or Republicans, but whose votes often sway the election one way or the other. (Approximately 40% are D’s and 40% R’s.)
It would be great if the GOP would get behind likely candidates, but the GOP picks middle-of-the-roaders who cross the aisle. Few conservatives want that type of candidate. But if the party did get behind a conservative it would be helpful if they ran them through practice gauntlets to prepare them for the ordeal of dealing with the hostile gotcha press.
We need clandestine conservatives that appear to be in the middle in order to get elected.