Though all these are important, in the end, the authors of The Party Decides write that "political persuasion — a cue from partisan leaders to partisan voters — may be the most important mechanism of insider control." In other words, the party gets its way by telling voters, both through implicit signaling and explicit endorsements, which candidate is best.
"Most primary voters are partisan voters who care about their party and they like the party leadership," Noel, a professor of government at Georgetown (and, as of earlier this month, a Vox.com contributor at Mischiefs of Faction), says. "So if the party coordinates and says, 'that’s our guy,' then those voters are going to respond to that."
But this year's Republican voters haven't seemed in the mood to follow their elites' lead. Indeed, polls have shown that, in contrast to Democrats, a majority of the GOP electorate thinks its party leadership isn't doing a good job representing their views on major issues. Voters are frustrated and angry, Matalin says, because of the party's "seeming inability to deliver conservative policies despite monumental electoral gains at all levels."
Meanwhile, the judgments from party elites that have been expressed so far almost seem to act as an anti-endorsement. Condemnations from those elites, like those aimed at Trump, have been taken as a badge of honor. When the billionaire calls GOP leaders "stupid," as he so frequently does, voters tend to agree with him. If that's the case, why would they care what the party's eventual decision may be?
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