The More Donald Trump Defies His Party, the More His Supporters Cheer
He dismissed ideological labels altogether, a sentiment endorsed by the 10,000 people in the arena, who thundered their approval over and over. Instead of calling himself conservative, Mr. Trump said, “I’m a guy with common sense that’s going to make us a fortune.”
.. Most surprising, perhaps, is that Mr. Trump led Mr. Cruz by 20 percentage points among evangelical voters, whose support Mr. Cruz rallied to win the Iowa caucuses this month.
.. Hogan Gidley, a former executive director of the South CarolinaRepublican Party, whose roots are in the evangelical community, said the Republican base was angry about sending politicians with impeccable conservative credentials to Washington, but seeing nothing change there.
“All us rank-and-file conservatives have been dictated to from Washington, D.C., for decades, and we’re sick of it,” Mr. Gidley said. “I don’t need a candidate to come from our ranks. I need a candidate who’s not going to lie to me.”