"Chong would have lost them a lot of Conservative votes."                                                                                 
With all due respect, that's a bit absurd. Where would those Conservative votes go? Would they go to the Liberals, the NDP, or the Greens? The reality is that if the CPC ever wants to be in government again, the party is going to have to move back to the centre. If Scheer pursues a So-Con agenda that includes turning back the clock on gay marriage or abortion, he'll be buying the party a one-way ticket to oblivion.