Notice in the poll that when the question of Rudy in the general election arises, Conservatives are split roughly three ways.
And yet Rudy supporters have the nerve to claim he can win.
The Rudy supporters do not see FR as a representative cross section of the GOP, and to some degree they are correct. But they also fail to realize that without enthusiasm for a candidate from the conservative wing of the party, the GOP cannot win a national election. So they dismiss the need for them altogether.
Romney is smarter than that. He KNOWS that he cannot stand by his liberal past, and has disavowed much of it. So even if Hunter is not the one to catch Rudy, it will be Romney. But make no mistake, a conservative alternative will rise.