When a capable conservative has a conservative record AND RUNS AS A CONSERVATIVE he or she wins every time!
The conservative hating GOP-e wants to win with RINOs and the Democrats love and enable their dumass efforts...we need not provide encouragement here to either party.
I honestly believe with the breakdown of marriage and the family that the voting population of the country is being controlled by women who by their God given nature are more willing to give up freedom for the promise of security. I am in poor black/hispanic communities a lot and overwhelmingly the women are head of the household and if there are men present they are told what to do. Even in more conservative communities you now have the working mother persuading the husband to vote for the liberal who promises security.
I think Palin did so well because she was able to show that having conservative principles did not mean that you lose security but the GOP decided not to use her. Why do you think Michelle Obama spoke to small audiences of mostly minority women? Because she knew for every woman in the audience their were 50 family members/friends who would vote exactly how they were told.