The real question is, does the base that he satisfies believe he has the best shot at winning, or won't they care?
The "social conservatives" will be excited, much as core Republicans were excited about Goldwater in 1964 and core Democrats were excited about McGovern in 1972. That obviously wasn't enough.
In view of the results, that wasn't enough. If I were a rational Republican and were to win the Presidential nomination, then I wouldn't find "But he's from Pennsylvania" much of a reason to nominate him for VP. Cabinet post, maybe, but even that would be risky.
These days, "What plays in Vegas stays in Vegas" doesn't apply to politics. He'd probably make some gaffe of either homophobia or religious bigotry as blatant as Sarah Palin's "Real America" spiel.