Teds moving to the middle because Neil Bush was placed on his staff. He’s so power mad and obcessed he’ll do anything to be President and I mean anything.
He certainly has made some choices that I consider unhelpful. Embracing Glenn Beck’s endorsement is one; bringing in Neil S&L Bush as a finance guy (no less) is another. They are indicative of a drive and want so strong it is willing to overlook the obvious.
However, my belief is that Ted made his biggest mistake in going after Trump instead of taking down the rival that did him the most damage - Marco Rubio. Instead, he waited until the last minute (actually after) to attack Rubio even ganging up on Trump with Rubio in that debate that did neither of them any good.
Now, it’s a matter of accumulation of former Rubio voters and playing a game of catch up which he has effectively lost. He lost the game when he lost that unified “solid south” he so depended on in his early campaign - Trump took them.