They were completely wrong. I think that was Ted Cruz’s play, which explains why he went to great lengths to depict himself as the true Constitutional convervative in the 2016 primary.
He probably figured that after eight years of Obama, the country would be hungry for a true conservative to right the course of the ship of state. He was wrong. Not even Republicans are hungry for a self identified conservative, preferring to back a non-ideological pragmatist, instead.
I think this also explains why Cruz became so unhinged towards the end. Not only was his plan for 2016 going up in smoke, but if his act didn’t play in 2016, he knows it probably won’t play at any time in the future during his lifetime.
Precisely
It wasn’t conservative principles that did Cruz in. It was the “do what it takes to win” campaign and his lack of clarity on issues of trade and cheap foreign labor. Then there was the maddening talking down to folks when they disagreed with him. And, oh yeah, lots of folks aren’t convinced about his natural born citizen status.