But the fact that Cuccinelli got closer than Romney seems relevant. Romney = worst possible candidate for rural populist voters and the suburbs didn't swing left as much as many though. It almost makes you wonder if GOP could have flipped OH and VA in 2012 with a SoCon getting supercharged rural turnout. Santorum was probably too far out in right field to stay near Romney numbers in the suburbs, but what about Huckabee?
A socon like Huckabee would have performed poorly in some of the R-voting suburbs and exurbs though, particularly in NOVA.
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