[Man50D]

A conservative third party effort requires a super wealthy, credible conservative candidate for President — a Perot without Perot’s quirkiness and controlling personality. Since no such paladin has appeared on the scene, we must make do with the GOP, as Reagan so successfully did.

The third party premise would be true if we had a two party system. The fact is the OP has moved so far to the socialist left it has become one big socialist Republicrat party system. A Conservative party will restore the two party system. You can try and make do but the OP leadership will continue to ignore Conservative principles just as they have don for several years.

[Rockingham]

If conservatives run and win enough primaries, they inherit the GOP and its organization and ballot position. If conservatives cannot win inside the GOP, they will not find easier going outside of it.