As a hypothetical, if there were a Dem that was equally awful, running against (again, pick someone) Christie, I would vote for Christie. He may not do what I want, but he isn't so awful that he might bring the democracy crumbling down (or try to).

What if that awful Democrat was running against Trump? Or De Santis? You're picking the Republican that's probably running the closest to the Democrats, of all the field - it's an easy choice to say you'd be willing to pick the most 'centrist' of the current candidates. But what if it was someone who would really use the office to push hardcore conservative positions? Are you willing to give the GOP another four years of power rather than have an less-than-perfect Democrat keep the office in Democratic hands?

The GOP electorate is smart enough to realize that no matter Trump's faults, the country is going to move closer to what they want with him in office than any Democrat. They're probably better at realizing that politics is a team sport, rather than an expression of personal virtues or values, than Democrats are.