I’m hearing next to nothing about two of the re-treds, Santorum and Perry. Time will tell, but I don’t think these two will develop enough ‘lift off’ power to really get into the race. Still, a lot can happen in the next 12 months.
I think you are correct.
Whether to announce and spin up a limited machine to make a point and concede to a close ideologue, or to not announce and put all the effort and money towards that same end... Seems a matter of pride, and a reality sandwich.
The only people donating to those two are probably family members.