Did real conservative primary candidates split the conservative vote handing McCain the nomination?

There's no way McCain would win the nomination if it were McCain vs. one true conservative, right?Did real conservative primary candidates split the conservative vote handing McCain the nomination?
Yes, I believe so. I'm still shocked that McCain won because he's a moderate and not as conservative as I would like. Did real conservative primary candidates split the conservative vote handing McCain the nomination?
Indeed. The conservative ';base'; was split throughout the primaries, with ';values-oriented'; social conservatives behind Huckabee and the fiscally-conservative ';country club'; Republicans pitching for Romney.





However, the real reason why McCain won the nod was due to Rudy Giuliani's lackluster performance. Staunch conservatives would have never supported either of these two just as most moderates would have been turned off by a crackpot like Huckabee or a failed governor like Romney. Quite the contrary, had Ghouliani actually campaigned effectively from the beginning, he may have been the likely presumptive nominee, and McCain would not have been the ';Comeback Kid'; in New Hampshire, effectively ensuring the ';Straight Talk Express'; being decommissioned.





Another, though more unlikely, scenario would have actually pitted Ghouliani and McCain head to head for the GOP nod. The moderate vote would be split but not enough for any hardcore conservative, not even Fred Thompson, to make any serious inroads. The end-result would have been very simliar to what took place in the Democratic run between Obama %26amp; Clinton, two candidates that are nearly identical on the issues, just with different backgrounds.
I doubt it. For most of the primaries, the nomination was between McCain, Huckabee, and Paul. I doubt the conservative vote was split between just Huckabee and Paul, allowing McCain to win. Did they not think Huckabee or Paul represented their conservative values as much as McCain?
I know there's no way to go back and perform a do- over, but I think you're correct. It's worth noting that the other major moderate candidate, Giuliani, basically fell apart before the primaries even began. That prevented the moderate Rep vote from splitting.



The Republican party has often awarded the position to a long time member as a reward for service.... especially in a cycle that they feel there isnt much hope of winning.. IE Bob Dole.





McCain fits that bill ..


That said we had record turnout for our local primary.. Romney won. McCain and Paul tied for second.
I suspect many of the far right voted in the democratic primary, either against Hillary or against Obama.





And that left the moderates to pick the Republican candidate.





Being a moderate Republican, I think that is a good thing!
Absolutely. Take out either Huckabee or Romney and I think McCain would not have gotten the nomination. I didn't support McCain, and I'm not even remotely happy that he's the Republican nominee.
They knew no extremist conservative could win.





I meant right wing nut