Donald Trump won all of Arizona's delegates but Ted Cruz hustles for second ballot

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Arizona was a winner-take-all state and Donald Trump won convincingly
All of the state's delegates are 'bound' to vote for Trump on the first ballot during the July Republican convention
But if Trump can't secure the presidential nomination right away, the delegates are free to change their vote on a second ballot
Ted Cruz's campaign is working behind the scenes to install people in those slots who will run in his direction if Trump falls short
For the latest on the GOP primaries visit www.dailymail.co.uk/gopprimary

Published: 09:39 EST, 4 April 2016 | Updated: 10:37 EST, 4 April 2016

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Donald Trump won all of Arizona's Republican convention delegates last month, but he could lose half of them to Ted Cruz if he can't secure the presidential nomination on the first ballot in July.

The Texas senator is out-hustling the billionaire to install his loyalists among the 58 delegates in Arizona. While all of them will be 'bound' to support Trump in the first round of voting, they will be free to change allegiances after that.

The actual people who will fill those slots will be chosen in a series of local elections in the coming days, and finalized during an upcoming state convention.

Cruz's superior ground game there could pay dividends in the long run, as he works to poach as much of Trump's delegate total as he can.

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WORKING THE GROUND GAME: Ted Cruz is installing his own loyalists as Arizona's GOP convention delegates, hoping they'll bolt from Donald Trump if the billionaire fails to win the nomination on the first ballot

MAN OF THE PEOPLE, NOT OF THE DELEGATES: Trump might fall just short of a majority of delegates before July's convention and lose it all as delegates flee him after the first ballot

'Cruz, out of all the campaigns, has the most folks on the ground and has been the most organized,' Michael Noble, a Republican consultant in Arizona who is neutral, told the Washington Examiner.

'Trump has no real organization in Arizona,' added GOP strategist Sean Noble (no relation to Michael Noble). 'Cruz will get most/all Arizona delegates on second ballot.'

Trump is ahead of Cruz by a 736-463 margin in the overall delegate count with the Wisconsin primary looming on Tuesday.

If Cruz wins convincingly there, he could add as many as 42 delegates to his total, although a more likely scenario would be a 32-12 drubbing.

The senator is leading the real estate tycoon in recent polls by anywhere from six to 10 percentage points.

Trump needs to reach the magic number of 1,237 delegates – the slimmest majority possible – in order to avoid a floor fight during the July convention in Cleveland.

That's when Cruz's mission to 'flip' Trump's delegates – a group that includes his own loyal supporters – will take its turn.

WISCONSIN PUSH: Trump and Cruz are locking in a fight for the Badger State's 42 delegates in Tuesday's primary

Trump's so-called 'bound' delegates, including those Cruz partisans, have no choice in voting on the first ballot. Even if they should go rogue and vote for Cruz in the first go-round, the convention secretary will record their votes as though they had supported Trump.

But in a second ballot, all bets are off.

Cruz's grassroots organizing skill, which helped him snare a win in the Iowa caucuses two months ago, was on display over the weekend in North Dakota, where his staffing muscle persuaded state Republican leaders to award him 18 of the 25 delegates in that state.

A similar scenario may unfold in the coming days in Colorado, where the state Republican Party opted this year against holding a presidential preference vote. Instead, a series of state- and district-level conventions will choose the 37 delegates.

Cruz swept the first round on April 2, winning all six delegates in the first two congressional districts to hold their conventions.

Trump and Cruz are stumping in Wisconsin ahead of Tuesday's primary there. Trump's Monday night event in Milwaukee will take place less than a city block away from the venue where Democratic socialist candidate Bernie Sanders will hold his own event.