“The media like him enough to keep him in the forefront, eclipsing others in print and airtime, which keeps the pep-rally going. “
I would observe he has been in a firestorm of media for 3 months...
He has flourished and used its momentum to suck the oxygen out of the room so effectively, that few other candidates get airtime.
That, however, does not mean he will necessarily be aligned with Conservative goals once elected.