Cruz carried several states where conservatism matters more even than winning, and many states he lost are not noted for their conservative bonafides.
Even my own beloved PA is desperate enough for a real winner we're happy to sacrifice some orthodoxy for a better chance to win.
That said, I'll grant you that Trump has helped to redefine what it means to be "conservative", since until more recent years conservatives at the Wall Street Journal could favor unlimited immigration and NAFTA without being reviled by other Republicans.
And I think Trump is right on those, as well as other issues.
Especially if he can win over more "working class" voters.
“Even my own beloved PA is desperate enough for a real winner we’re happy to sacrifice some orthodoxy for a better chance to win.”
I don’t see where Republican voters are sacrificing ANY conservative orthodoxy by passing over Cruz for Trump.
Have you honestly reviewed Trump’s complete agenda? It’s the boldest conservative agenda anyone’s seen since 1980. Some would argue that his agenda is even more conservative than Reagan’s, which I find hard to disagree with.