Social conservatives and the religious right swore that 2016 was going to be their year. They were going to learn from their mistakes in 2008 and 2012 and this time, they would unite behind a single Republican presidential candidate, flex their muscles, and leave the establishment in the dust.
So what’s actually happened? Ted Cruz has gotten the endorsements of Tony Perkins and Bob Vander Plaats. Donald Trump notched Jerry Falwell Jr. A Mike Huckabee-supporting Super PAC has an ad out saying Cruz is a "phony" Christian because he doesn’t tithe. Jeb Bush questions whether Trump is a Christian—and so do a lot of Republican voters. The voters just don’t seem to care very much, unfortunately for Jeb.
While it looks like the establishment will probably be left in the dust, the Christian right uniting and flexing part didn’t go so well. What a shame.