As I recall, the ‘values voter’ was very instrumental in getting McCain through the back door of the primaries. The values voters stuck with Huckabee, which siphoned votes from much more general appealing candidates to the other wings of the GOP faction. My first choice would have been Thompson. My next one, in Thompson’s absence, would have been Giuliani. And Giuliani was outright rejected by SoCons because of two key issues (he would not have pushed a pro-life agenda and did not have a tough enough stance on homosexuality [some also content he would have been a gun-grabber because of his policies he pushed for in NYC while a mayor]). However, Giuliani would have been a superior (in my opinion) candidate to McCain, Huckabee, or Romney.
RG would have been way worse than McCain. He was a triple loser, Guns, God and gays. Sorry, not now, not never.