Nothing in politics is moral IMO, including, but certainly not limited to, running to tell tales and spreading gossip, all while pointing fingers at the “hypocrites.”
Your next to last statement goes to my point. Candidates don’t win presidential elections on votes alone, or very rarely, especially in a crowded field. They should be aware of this and act accordingly.
Granted, the nominating process needs changing, starting with the order of state primaries. And when there are so many candidates, maybe instead of the current delegate rules, the answer would be doing primary runoffs in the states. Easy to understand.
Although the Republican Party hierarchy is entitled to run it however they see fit, they would be wise to make some changes that the voters can live with.