All you say about her background and the (aged) Tory grassroots is what I'd assume - some in the media and a few of the flailers may be drawn to the idea of a "kickboxing, lesbian Army Colonel (Honorary)" (yes, that's a direct paraphrase of the media buzz, and one she's embraced) as some sort of breath of fresh air, but even in those terms the shine has started to come off her, with one RW pundit on a recent TV newspaper headline roundup dismissing her as a "Twitter personality".
I've long held that nobody with a non-southern English/RP accent (never mind their background) is likely to be elected PM - see Gordon Brown!
Also, the few recent decent-sample-size polls we've had in Scotland have shown consistent gains for the SNP since the election and a marked reversal for the Tories, now either trailing Scottish Labour again or neck and neck with them. The reality of the parlous quality of their MPs who've taken over the seats, persistent scandals about some of their "colourful" backgrounds, and the paper tiger performances by their MPs at Westminster after all the brave words about "standing up for Scotland" and refusing to be mere lobby fodder have not gone unnoticed.
Leadsom, thankfully, doesn't seem to have much impetus nowadays. I'm not ready for any of the current contenders to lead the country over the cliff, but the prospect of someone whose politics resemble the US Tea Party and has been a UKIP bright hope in the past taking over the reins doesn't fill me with cheer.