[ansel12]

Romney kept out big challengers in 2008 by pulling huge fund raising stunts very early, and letting it be known that he would self fund if needed and that he had a huge labor force behind him (many of them Mormons), he still lost to two unfunded light weights though.

Romney has shaped the primary field for 7 years.

[Jack Black]

Romney was able to raise the money he needed to compete at a national level. Not too many of the other candidates seemed able to do that. And, maybe he did have a big volunteer base of Mormons. So? That's a good thing, isn't it?

Neither of those qualify as "the GOP establishment picking our candidate", which was the theory I see put forward that I just don't agree with.