The base was split between him and Santorum. This is the first point at which it’s actually conservative v LIBERAL rather than conservative v conservative.
As a case in point, I have been agnostic between the two until now. I hadn’t even entered the fray between those 2. Don’t count out people like me who were WAITING to see who to support most effectively.
Yep it was split, and that was done on purpose I believe. Split the conservative vote 4 ways, then there is the nut Ron Paul who will hopefully run again when he is 82 /s, and he never gets anything. The rest goes to Romney, and he gets the nod.
I don’t have any doubt this was done on purpose by the GOP, because the only thing the GOP can engineer a defeat on is itself, and it has done exactly that.