Robbie we must be talking about something other than what happened in Wyoming. Cruz spent only a minimal amount also and put little effort into it. It wasn't Ted's brilliant “ground game”. Ted didn't win anything; he was just the recipient of the party bosses benevolence in their effort to stop Trump. The voters had no input; anyone with any type of moral compass can not deny that this is repugnant.
The sad thing is that Ted already has no mathematical possibility of winning a majority of delegates before the convention. Even though this wasn't even really his doing, it will be remembered as more underhanded and dishonorable behavior. The next time Ted runs for president, he will make the Jebster look like a superstar.
I think no such thing. The party in Colorado is, I suppose, like parties in every other state, depends heavily on activists. Those are the people who invest time and money. Did Trump even try to get these people on his side? Trump has surged ahead by ginning up enthusiasm. But how were of these were the enthusiasts of 2009 who then became amateur politicians who did the nitty gritty work of organizations that collectively became know as the Tea Party movement? The ground game actually consist largely in making yourself known to such people. To get them to think of your candidate as a reasonable choice. You defame them by talking about them as pawns, just as Trump does by objecting to wining and dining them. This is the sort of politics that has sheen going on since the time that George Washington rolled out the barrel for voters in his day. Voters who, by the way, were relatively the same sort as the people in Colorado.