A Bush versus Clinton race would lack that voter connection, but there would be a winner.
The dem snake will find it easy, as the libs don't have a visceral connectivity, they merely want to win at any and all costs.("Those are our planes now").
R's generally do a little siftin', and many don't show up as a protest, in their minds (rightly or wrongly) being more important than who's planes they are.
However, if a candidate presents himself, that does indeed connect viscerally, they get the population under the bell and probably one std deviation on either side, and most of the people on their side of the curve.