Senator Ted Cruz sent letters to the state parties in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas on Monday informing them he would keep the delegates he won bound to him instead of releasing them before the convention.  In a letter obtained by CNN, Cruz wrote the following to the chair of the Kansas GOP:

“Although I have suspended my campaign for the Republican Party nomination for President of the United States, I do not release any Republican National Convention delegates bound to me as a result of the 2016 delegate selection process that took place in your state… I encourage all delegates who supported my campaign — and who support a constitutional conservative agenda that will grow jobs, protect our freedoms, and ensure our security — to actively participate in shaping the Party platform and rules in a manner that will ensure our cause is advanced.”

And according to Politico, a conference call between Cruz, several allies, and supporters took place Monday night, and his team repeated the point that this was not a move to challenge Trump’s nomination in July. Rep. Ken Buck, who is planning on the attending the convention as a delegate said:

“They made a point of saying, ‘This is not something nefarious we’re plotting at the convention. The Cruz team really just wants to make sure the platform reflects conservative values so that conservatives are excited about turning out this November and in the future.”

We need all the resistance we can get to Trump’s new party values, so consider it a silver lining.