But all of Trump's potential negatives are taken out when you consider:
1) He fights, which is how he's survived the McCain comments, the invented "sexist" comments, the invented "rape" accusations.
2) Hillary Clinton will be the nominee (the fix is already in for the Democratic side) and will have far worse negatives.
As for Ted Cruz, Cruz can easily be attacked by just running video of his father, Rafael Cruz, preaching before Dominionist crowds detailing how the Christian church is split into two groups: the Kings and Priests, and it's the Kings' job to gain dominion over society and funnel all the money to the Priests. After that, they can then hit Cruz for his obfuscations on immigration-- which most leftists are already familiar with, even if Conservatives aren't. And finally, there's just Cruz's own unlikability after that. Cruz comes off fake, rehearsed. This is how he comes off to normal people.
Cruz will lose the general by a great deal.
Cruz does not come off as fake or rehearsed at all. You’re thinking of Rubio and Fia-RINO. How do you rehearse his great debate answer that was stitched together out of a specific reaction to several questions that were asked that night?
Nobody gives a crap about what a candidate’s father or mother or brother said. If all they have on Cruz is a quote from a relative, he’s in like Flynn.
For all Trump’s fight, he’s performed very weak in the debates. Someone else always outshines him. He’s shown a remarkable lack of flexibility in expanding his rhetoric to new questions and themes. He’s stuck on “build the wall” and “take jobs back from CHI-na.” You’ll get an exact repeat of Obama vs. Romney in the debates minus the first debate that Romney won. And Trump’s off-color comments appeal only to a certain segment of the conservative base, not the independents and moderates, who by definition aren’t looking for that kind of “red meat.”
Cruz will win the general election handily. He’s a Reaganesque speaker and debater with a whip-smart intellect that can handle whatever unexpected topics and issues might arise. He’s been staunchly opposed to the Obama agenda every step of the way, which is what voters hungry for a change will respond to.