Here’s my view on this....
- To the committed Trump voter it wouldn’t have made any diff.
- To the ‘undecided’ voter, they’re still trying to decide.
- The undecided voter waits.... ‘late into the process’.
- The debate missed was .... ‘late into the process’
- Trump NEEDED to be trying to SWAY to the ‘undecided’ voter that late into the process.
Other than the debate, Trump’s main problem was that he just didn’t want to do the legwork necessary to win a small caucus state like Iowa. Cruz and the rest worked the obligatory small town venues: diners, town halls, local churches, etc, while Trump just held some big rallies and went home. The one-on-one legwork is what sways undecided voters, and then those undecided voters go home and influence their undecided friends and family members.