So check out what’s happening in Louisiana:
Donald Trump beat Sen. Ted Cruz earlier this month in Louisiana’s Republican presidential primary by 3.6 percentage points, but the Texan may wind up with as many as 10 more delegates from the state than the businessman. Mr. Cruz’s supporters also seized five of Louisiana’s six slots on the three powerful committees that will write the rules and platform at the Republican National Convention and mediate disputes over delegates’ eligibility this summer in Cleveland.
That, right there, is perfect illustration of the two points I’ve been making since starting this blog back up. First, you’ve got the fact that the election doesn’t actually determine the delegates – the county and state conventions do that. Cruz understands this, but apparently Trump does not. So assuming this holds, it’s a 20 delegate swing towards Cruz (add 10 to his total, subtract 10 from Trump). Second, Cruz has taken control of the state’s spots on the rules committees, which is going to be essential once he actually gets to the convention. The state conventions have only just begun, and yet this isn’t even the first time this has happened. Cruz clearly understands the rules better than Trump, and he’s using it to his advantage. Expect a lot more of this over the coming weeks and months.