If Rudy splits the GOP base, then he doesn't win the GOP nomination. That's what primaries are for.
If Hunter unites the GOP base, then he should be polling at least in the mid-30% range in the polls, and arguably over 50%.
Yes, it's early in the race which gives plenty of time for the diehard Hunter supporters to make their case to the readers of this forum. Even assuming they are persuasive, the readers of this forum probably total several hundred thousand people at best.
Hunter's task isn't to win over the hearts of this forum. It is to get the rest of America to even know he exists.
That is one of the most pristine examples of straw argumentation I have seen in a while. You set up the straw that there's "plenty of time for the diehard Hunter supporters to make their case to the readers of this forum." And then you proceed to argue against that position. "Even assuming they are persuasive, the readers of this forum probably total several hundred thousand people at best." It's bloody perfect!
Another hole in your initial statement is "If Hunter unites the GOP base, then he should be polling at least in the mid-30% range in the polls, and arguably over 50%." I agree with this statement. But it's meaningless because Hunter does not unite the GOP base. Yet. The 2 poll on Free Republic puts forth an obvious SOCON (only Hunter fits that description given) versus a SOLIB (it certainly fits rudy).
http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/poll?poll=171
http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/poll?poll=172
At this point there are several socons in consideration and that's why Hunter doesn't unite the base. YET. It also shows that rudy DOES split the base. No candidate has ever won a republican presidency with a split base. Of course, you gloss over that in your haste to introduce straw arguments.