I wouldn’t have voted for him under any circumstances. Most of the Conservatives I know wouldn’t either.
He can’t win w/o tea partiers.
Exactamundo, and that's the horrible calculus that faces the GOP-e today.
Any red-blooded conservative with a backbone and a proven record of accomplishment will get overwhelming support from Republican voters. A RINO squish, on the other hand, will cause the conservative right to stay home, or vote third party.
They can't win without us. I hope they realize that we're done giving our votes to country club Republicans who do not represent the country class. If they haven't realized the fundamental dynamics at work here, then they'll just put up another milquetoast loser and hand the White House the Dems again.