Why do you think only second tier Republicans dared to challenge the EXTREMELY FLAWED and predictable LOOSER Romney?
They probably got offers they couldn’t refuse
“Hello?”
“No I don’t want to run, ask someone else”
“Because you are looking for a designated loser, and it ain’t going to be me”
I am sure there is more than one reason.
The truth is that it was not going to be as easy as some claimed to take out an incumbent POTUS Obama, after all whoever tried would be beat up in a primary where Obama would not. And Obama had the power to give out freebees in election year to get Dem base voters to vote.
I know Rush convinced his listeners that it would be easy for any of them to take out Obama in 2012.
He started that theme in late 2010 and kept it up till Romney lost, after telling his listeners that Romney would win in a landslide.