“Moderate” aka “liberal-ish” or compromising reach-across-the-aisle conservatives lose.
Ever notice that?
Yes, I think that is generally true. People don’t usually rush out for wishy-washy. Obama, for instance, is a staunch ideologue. He is hard left, and people will rally around somebody who stands for something. That draws out people in larger numbers in support and tends to help in elections. Namby-pamby lukewarm candidates are normally not going to be effective, except in particular periods of time, or against other particular kinds of candidates. A real conservative would be best for us, but I would still take a less perfect candidate if I had to. It is still better than some choices.