Conservative Republicans come out big in the primaries, not your white bread Republicans and definitely not your Republican-leaning independents (who, if they are registered Independents cannot vote in closed primaries at all).
Trump has to win over conservative Republicans to win enough primaries to be the nominee. It's not looking like those folks are buying what he is selling - at least thus far.
If this is the case - if the “real, genuine, true-blue conservatives” are that definitive, then why have we been stuck so often with Romney, McCain, Dole, etc. etc.?