Who?
I think that is the primary reason Paul never gained traction. Four years ago (and eight, for that matter) Ron Paul’s support came from college kids who, for whatever reason, stumbled upon the libertarian message and gave him a base of support because they liked what they heard. Now, the college kids have stumbled upon the socialist message of Bernie Sanders and like the idea of free everything. The two messages are polar opposites and Rand Paul missed the opportunity to cultivate his father’s following, allowing them to fall to the hammer and sickle, while he attempted to play Washington politics (supporting McConnell, for example).
The support that remains for Paul isn’t going socialist. It remains libertarian. Cruz will capture most, if not all, of Paul’s support because, among all of the remaining candidates, Cruz pushes constitutional restraint, states’ rights and individual liberty issues the most.
Cruz will gain another 3-5% on his poll numbers with Paul out of the race.