As you now surely know, Donald Trump had a big night in Pennsylvania's primary last night, as well as in the primaries held by four other states. But the real question here is: How many delegates did he pick up?
Here in Pennsylvania, the answer -- according to a rough, unofficial, and sleep-deprived Post-Gazette count of statewide returns -- appears to be 31 out of the 54 slots available. (These results are subject to change, because some of the races are TIGHT, and we’re dealing with preliminary state totals here.) That works out to a winning percentage of 57 percent -- roughly the same as Mr. Trump’s overall vote total, so Pennsylvania may be one state where it’s harder for him to argue that the delegate system is rigged. And those 31 delegates, if indeed their wins hold up in a final count and they stay loyal to Mr. Trump, would be in addition to the 17 he got for winning the primary outright.
To review: Of the 71 Republican delegates at stake last night, only 17 will have their allegiances determined by the winner of the popular vote. The other 54 are elected separately -- three from each Congressional district -- and they can support whomever they wish at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland this July.
That said, lists of endorsed delegate slates were issue by both Mr. Trump's campaign, and that of Texas Senator Ted Cruz. (The campaign of Ohio Gov. John Kasich did not do so.) And of the 41 Trump-backed delegates on yesterday's ballot, 31 appeared to have been among the top three slots within their Congressional districts. Mr. Trump swept several Congressional districts outright, winning all three spots in several districts, including a couple where he had some well-placed friends.
The Cruz campaign endorsed 17 of yesterday's winners, although it's not so easy to determine how many of those are actual supporters of his. As we reported here yesterday, Mr. Cruz backed candidates who weren't necessarily committed to supporting him, but who the Cruz team thought would be persuadable. (It’s worth noting that the slate card linked to above was an earlier, more limited version of the Cruz campaign’s list of endorsed delegates. This list relies on a more recent and expanded version of the Cruz team’s preferences.)
That leaves six delegates who appear to be headed to Cleveland without a stamp of approval by either candidate. You might want to start using the caller ID, folks!
Here's the breakdown, by slate, of yesterday's unofficial winners -- again, as compiled using preliminary vote totals compiled by a somewhat cross-eyed reporter. This is subject to change and revision.
WINNING TRUMP-BACKED DELEGATES
3rd Cong. District
Carol Lynne Ryan
4th Cong. District
Joseph A. Sacco
Matthew R. Jansen
Marc A. Scaringi
5th Cong. District
James Feuer Klein
Arnold McClure
Ash Khare
6th Cong. District
Wayne Buckwalter
8th Cong. District
Samuel Worthington
Barry Robert Casper
9th Cong. District
Debra D. Taylor
10th Cong. District
Tina Pickett
Carol D. Sides
Mario M. Scavello
11th Cong. District
Richard Morelli
David J. McElwee
Andrew Shecktor
12th Cong. District
Monica Morrill
James Vasilko
13th Cong. District
Thomas Jay Ellis
Gilbert W. Cox, Jr.
Lauren Elizabeth Casper
15th Cong. District
Scott C. Uehlinger
John K. Reber Sr.
Patrick J. Kerin
17th Cong. District
Teresa Lynette Villano
Carolyn L. Bonkoski
Gloria Lee Snover
18th Cong. District
John Thomas Petrarca
Justin DePlato
Thomas J. Uram
WINNING CRUZ-BACKED DELEGATES
1st Cong. District
David Hackett
Christopher Vogler
Seth Kaufer
2nd Cong. District
Elizabeth Havey
Aaron Coehn
3rd. Cong District
Philip English
Robert Yates
6th Cong. District
Mary Elizabeth Wert
7th Cong. District
Michael Puppio
Robert Willert
Joan Miller
12th Cong. District
George Steigerwalt
14th Cong. District
Mary Meloy
Mike DeVanney
Camerson S. Linton
16th Cong. District
Gordon Ray Denlinger
Douglas W. Brubaker
David M. Dumeyer,
First Published: April 27, 2016, 2:19 p.m.
