I've no idea on what you base that statement.
Please don't make me defend her credibility as a leadership contender, but I'll wager most English Tories certainly have, for better or worse, not least because at the Tory conference May latched on to the Tories' (shortlived? ) revival in Scotland as her consolation prize for the otherwise dismal showing in the snap election. Here's the most recent poll of Tory Party members:
The battle to be the next leader of the Conservative Party is a three horse race, a new poll of Tory members has suggested with Boris Johnson now the favourite to take over from Theresa May.
The Foreign Secretary is in pole position to succeed Mrs May with 23 per cent of the partys rank and file backing him.
But Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Tory leader, and Jacob Rees-Mogg, the popular backbench MP, are close behind on 19 per cent and 17 per cent.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/09/29/boris-johnson-favourite-among-tory-members-takeover-theresa/
Here's a roundup of other similar polls (most tend not to include her because, yes, she's not an MP, but when they do, she tends to poll in the mid- to high teens, in Opinium's results at least):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Next_Conservative_Party_(UK)_leadership_election#Polls_of_Conservative_Party_members (you'll need to paste that URL into your browser - pesky Wikipedia links)