Ted Cruz sweeps Colorado delegates

GOP presidential hopeful Ted Cruz made good on claims Saturday that he would win all of Colorado's 34 elected delegates to the Republican National Convention.

Cruz, the only Republican candidate to speak at the state convention of the party faithful here, told the crowd that talk about making America great again was easy — "you can even print that on a baseball cap" — but understanding what makes America great in the first place is more difficult.

At the same time Cruz offered criticism of entrepreneur and reality-TV star Donald Trump, in a separate interview with KUSA-TV he downplayed the suggestion that his success is based on opposition to the controversial GOP frontrunner.

“You don’t see people out there with signs that say, ‘Never Trump,’ " Cruz said. "You see people out there with signs supporting our campaign."

Trump turned down an offer to appear here and instead decided to continue campaigning in New York, where 95 delegates are up for grabs April 19. Ohio Gov. John Kasich also campaigned Saturday in the Empire State.

Cruz went into the Colorado state convention with what he contended were all 21 of the delegates decided in Republican congressional district conventions pledged to him. Four of the 21 are technically not bound to him but have said they'll vote for Cruz at the Republican National Convention in July in Cleveland.

During the state party's meeting Saturday, attendees voted for 13 more statewide delegates and 13 alternates out of more than 600 running for the chance to participate in the Cleveland convention. All have said they'll be voting for the Texas senator.

Colorado actually has 37 delegates. The state party chairman, the national committeeman and national committeewoman, who do not have to announce their candidate preferences, are the remaining three spots — the same in every state.

Saturday's delegate contest differs from those in a majority of states.

Republicans in Colorado, North Dakota and Wyoming as well as U.S. territories American Samoa, Guam and the Virgin Islands don't have primaries or caucuses. Instead, they have a series of local or congressional district meetings that culminate in a state or territorial party conventions to choose a slate of delegates.

Because the conventions have fewer participants than primaries or even caucuses, they often have a different vibe from primary elections. Attendees are active in party politics and generally focus on the electability of a candidate in the November election rather than a candidate's popularity with the party's base.

“It just illustrates that when it comes to the grassroots, Donald has a very hard time competing,” Cruz said. “This election is not about a New York celebrity tweeting and the media giving him billions of free coverage. That’s not how you get elected.”

Democrats in Wyoming had their state convention Saturday, giving a victory to Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, 56% to 44% but splitting the state's 14 delegates evenly. Wyoming Republicans meet April 16.

Cruz's views are generally more conservative than many Colorado Republicans. He holds stances at odds with public opinion in Colorado on abortion, same-sex marriage and climate change, polls have shown.

But Cruz asserted that he can win the state in November, citing public polling showing him beating Hillary Clinton in head-to-head matchups in Colorado.

Cruz won in one such poll back in November and lost in four more recent polls, according to RealClear Politics, which tracks and averages poll results.