The start of the race may have had 16. But it is always the final stretch which determines the winner. If either Newt or Rick dropped out in the final stretch, Romney would be toast.
The large donors are to be excoriated if not flensed! We can't help these guys legislatively if our candidates don't win, and if they, the donors keep sticking their nose into the selection of the candidates, those candidates are going to lose and the donors will be left at the mercy of the Democrats.
Many of the donors have only the vaguest idea of how politics works in this country ~ worse, many of them imagine that money is the only thing that counts ~ but if that money isn't put to work getting our voters to vote they might as well just flush it.,
Still waiting on Mitt to start his campaign ~ you know the one where he tells us GO VOTE FOR ME and and tells them OBAMA IS BAD FOR YOU STAY HOME
The same that opposed Mitt will oppose the next GOP candidate.
Every last one of them.
They will oppose the GOP candidate in 2020, 2024,2032
I can state this without even knowing who the candidates shall be.
Like the Jewish people , they await the chosen one.