I actually did think of them when I was righting this. First off, Rick isn't a Rino. I was also going to write that it is difficult for Conservatives to win in the Northeast. Rick is in big trouble in PA. Many want to blame his lack of support for Pat against Arlen. I think that has something to do with it, but not enough to create a double digit difference in the polls.
McCain really is the only exception. He is a Southwest Rino, but he is a Rino for another reason. He likes the attention it gets him in the media.
I think you are beginning to understand the concept of "stereotypes." The exceptions prove that your view is narrow-minded. In fact, there are plenty of hard-core conservatives in the Northeast, it's just that they rarely get national name recognition. There are also plenty of RINOs everywhere.
And, BTW, if Santorum loses PA, it will be for one reason only: Bob Casey's supposed pro-choice views is going to cost Santorum a lot of the Catholic vote. After Casey is elected, we shall see how often he actually sides with Republicans on this issue (my guess is "other than on PBA, never").