“I fear that if Trump wins the primary, an even larger number of conservatives will stay home on election day essentially handing the election to the democrat nominee.”
Speaking as a hard-core conservative, since the Reagan years, I don’t think your fears are justified.
People stayed home not solely because Mittens was insufficiently conservative, but because he is a loathsome, backstabbing, crooked politician. Trump is not.
It is obvious that Trump is not conservative in all his positions. However, of all the candidates, he is the only one who even *might* put America ahead of his personal ambitions. Further, he has enough gumption to smite our enemies about the head and shoulders with mighty blows. And that’s what I want.
I think enough Americans want a president who would put America ahead of his personal ambitions, and who has enough gumption to smite our enemies, to usher Trump in quite handily.
Trump is not a loathsome, backstabbing crooked politician because Trump is not a politician. Personally, the kindest thing I can say about Donald Trump is that he is an opportunist. I do not believe he is in this for the country but that he is in this for himself.
That being said, there is a weird thing going on with Donald Trump: people who support him don't understand why people who don't like him don't like him. And people who don't like him can't understand how people who do like him can fall for his schtick. There is a real big divide that seems to be based on the man's personality. That leaves us with people who do not like him being very hard pressed to vote for him should he win the nomination. I think it will be harder for Trump detractors to vote for Trump than it was for Romney detractors to vote for Romney. Romney, at least, appeared to be a nice guy.