[Drew68]

How do you read that map?

2012 Republican primary results. Purple = Gingrich, Green = Santorum, Yellow = Ron Paul, Black = no recorded votes.

Orange = Mitt Romney.

Cruz will do well in Gingrich country, possibly Santorum country and he'll be halfway to the delegate count that Romney received.

The million dollar question is how do Romney voters become Cruz voters?

[Abby4116]

Some of the “Romney states” are that way because their primaries were late and he was the only one left on the ballot.

[SoConPubbie]

The million dollar question is how do Romney voters become Cruz voters?

The same way Reagan won with his three-legged stool approach:

1. You give the Social Conservatives what is most important to them. This requires the other two groups of conservatives and enough of the remaining republicans to accept this.

2. You give the Fiscal Conservative what is most important to them. This requires the other two groups of conservatives and enough of the rest of the republicans to agree to this as well.

3. You give the third group of conservatives, those desiring a strong military, what is most important to them. Once again, this requires the other two groups of conservatives and enough of the rest of the republicans to agree to this also.

[tbpiper]

...how do Romney voters become Cruz voters?

I voted for Romney because he was running against Obama. So far, Cruz seems to be the better choice for 2016.

[ansel12]

Romney voters become Cruz voters by Cruz being a much more substantial candidate that Gingrich, Santorum and Paul, and even of Romney himself.

Romney queered up two presidential cycles in a row by being such a financial powerhouse and having a built in labor force, that he kept out any major players, that is most definitely not the situation in 2016.

Cruz isn’t just some third stringer that has been out of politics for years after being defeated in reelection, facing the inevitable 2012 Mitt Romney, this is an entirely different primary, and Cruz is a direct challenger for top spot, not just a hail Mary protest vote.

[Ouderkirk]

A good many of us who voted for Romney did so because there was no choice by the time the primary hit our state.

[tennmountainman]

Romney voters could, and the key word is could be replaced by Reagan
Democrats.

And there are still lots of Regan democrats.

[Finny]

Orange = Mitt Romney.

What a joke. By the time California got to vote, for example, it was either Romney or Paul. So DUH ... California is "solid Romney." Ha ha. Romney LOST because that map of "solid Romney voters" is structured on the illusion that those folks "chose" Romney over the other Republican primary candidates. They didn't -- the choice had LONG SINCE been made for them by a minority of Republicans and cross-over Democrats in earlier open primaries.

The million dollar question is how do Romney voters become Cruz voters?

No, that's the one cent question -- obviously all those supposed "Romney voters" failed to materialize in the general.

The million dollar question is, will conservative Republicans unite behind ONE conservative candidate early enough in the primaries so that he's still on the primary ballot by the time the primaries get to all those so-called "Romney" voters?

[Yaelle]

The million dollar question is how do Romney voters become Cruz voters?

---

To be fair, some of those primaries had some of the candidates all but eliminated already so romney was it if you were in it to stop Cruz. I was one of those romney voters, just trying to stop obama. I will NOT be voting Jeb even if it meant president hillary because the difference is not enough.

What we need to do is to convince the voters who play Red Team vs Blue Team that bush vs clinton is not a valuable election. THAT is how you get Romney counties to turn Cruz.

[Michael.SF.]

The million dollar question is how do Romney voters become Cruz voters?

Not hard. I voted for Romney and I will vote for Cruz, or Walker, or Bush, or Rubio, or Bob at the Scottsdale gun club before I vote for Hillary or any other Democrat.

I do favor Cruz or Walker at this very early point.

[mosaicwolf]

"The million dollar question is how do Romney voters become Cruz voters? "

Easy....I voted for Romney in 2012 and I will vote for Cruz in 2016. That wasn't too hard.