Could Romney have won the primary vote if he had hewed more to the center?

[hopper]

I stated in an earlier post on a different thread:

Social conservatives/populists made their statement with Santorum, and they still lost. The truth is for all the crazies in the Republican Party, run-of-the-mill conservatives still dominate the GOP primaries. That is why Romney won. They are the "Silent Majority" in the primaries. Romney still would've won the primaries on electability and business experience.

I would guess Romney still would've won the primaries, but it would've been very close.

The current GOP base is obssessed with idealogical purity, but as in real life, regular conservatives/moderates still are the majority in the GOP, plus a good number of people who dreamed of Santorum/Gingrich would realize their best shot to defeat Obama was Romney. Instead of winning 52% of the primary vote, it might've been closer to 45%!

But in the long run, Romney would've done better in the general election even if he doesn't win.

You have a point about ideology in the GOP, but the Democrats are starting to become the same way. Prior to the housing market collapse in 2008, if the Democrats' main focus was electability, then Clinton should've defeated Obama. He really wasn't convincing in his ability to win until the middle of September.

Except that Obama was a whole lot more electable than Hillary in 2008.

not even close!

He was seen as a wild eyed liberal who would tax and spend to appease his base while his wife was finally proud of her country for the first time in her adult life.

No Obama ran as a Moderate not a liberal.

[hopper]

In answer to the OP, no screwing way. Romnay BARELY beat Santorum in states like OH and MI, plus robbed him of election-night accolades by the skin of his ass. Lose those states and the resulting momentum effects on each campaign, and it's Mittins who drops out in April, not Santorum.

Santorm lead by 12% in polling 2 weeks before the Michigan Primary but self-destructed. He talked about abortion too much in those 2 weeks that's why he lost MI. Ohio was still close.