Earlier still, in mid-July, Cruz had given a rundown to about two dozen House conservatives on his game plan. 

“It was a very enlightening discussion about his path to victory,” Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.) told The Hill afterward, adding, “It was compelling. He knew his numbers so well.”

Cruz has performed extremely strongly in the fundraising race. According to the latest figures from the Center for Responsive Politics, he has around $13 million in cash on hand for his own campaign, a sizable sum that is dwarfed by the $37 million that Cruz-allied super-PACs have on hand.

Yet there are dangers, to be sure. Mackowiak, who admiringly says of Cruz that “if you look at all the metrics, he has outperformed from the very beginning,” also notes how the Texan senator has taken a much gentler approach toward Trump than have some of his rivals.

“That’s a great strategy so long as Trump fades,” he said. “But it’s a terrible strategy if Trump is in first place and on a path to the nomination.”