Pointless comparison.
If there were a Reagan -- a California governor who was unquestioned leader of a confident conservative movement -- it's hard to imagine people in such a movement not supporting such a governor, pretty much by definition.
But there isn't such a candidate (or such a conservative movement) this year. Times change and the older options aren't available, so people make do with what's available.
Might as well say that you guys would pass up Reagan -- a popular big-state governor who managed to work with a Democrat-controlled legislature -- for someone like Gingrich or whoever provided, he irritated the right people.
The question wasn't about people "in the movement" supporting him, it was about the RINO elites supporting him. They are not part of any known "conservative movement," just a good ol' boys pork-trading, crony capitalism society.
Gingrich was a successful Speaker of the House who worked with a Democrat-controlled executive branch. "Popular" is an irrelevant question ever since the leftist media inventing Borking and gave themselves the ability to destroy anyone they didn't like, although today that's limited to independents and liberals since the conservatives have managed to find their own media in the last 15 years.
So you want to settle for another milquetoast RINO.
Right now we’re in need of a firebrand that can rally the voters. Since Sarah isn’t going to do it, Newt has stepped in to do the job for the American people. We’ve had enough of the Bob Dole, John McCain wing handing elections to democrats, thank you very much.