Washington -- It's all over but the shouting in the Republican presidential contest, but whatever shouting is left to be done will likely occur at the Louisiana Republican Party presidential caucuses this weekend. Even as former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's campaign is moving from the competition to coronation stage, Louisiana Republicans will go to congressional district caucuses Saturday to elect delegates to a state convention in Shreveport on June 2 that will in turn select delegates to the Republican National Convention at the end of August in Tampa, Fla.

Voters in each district will be able to vote for 25 delegates, or simply vote for one of nine slates of delegates (10 in the 1st Congressional District). None of the delegates or slates will be identified on the ballot as supporting a particular candidate and none will be pledged to vote for any particular candidate.
However, each slate has a political identity, and there is considerable overlap. Slates 2 and 3, for example, are virtually identical, even though Slate 2 originated as a Newt Gingrich slate, and Slate 3 as an uncommitted conservative slate that would have lined up for former Pennsylvania Rick Santorum had he remained in the race.

Slate 5 originated as a Romney slate, however, Scott Sewell, who is directing the Romney effort in Louisiana, negotiated with Slates 2 and 3 so that they would include some Romney folks and he would make room for some Gingrich and Santorum folks on 5. Santorum won close to half the vote in a big victory in Louisiana's March 24 primary, which binds 10 of the delegates to be chosen in Shreveport to him -- until such time as he chooses to release them -- and five to Romney.

Sewell said the Romney campaign is perfectly happy to have the convention delegation reflect Santorum's victory in the primary, and to include backers of Gingrich and Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, as well. [caveat, I saw another blog that said this list was a sham, the 'Santa' people are people who moved to Romney and are really Romney people, but I couldn't say the truth of it]

Sewell said the Santorum and Gingrich backers in Louisiana are amenable, but the Paul people are not.
Indeed, the latest headline on the Ron Paul presidential site Thursday afternoon was "Romney = Obama. Finally, Americans are Waking up to Ron Paul!"

Earlier in the campaign, Paul was accused of colluding with Romney to knock other challengers out of the race, but it there was any truth to that then, there is not now.

The official Paul slate is Slate 7, according to Charlie Davis, the former state GOP deputy chair, who is running the Paul campaign in Louisiana. However, the makeup of Slate 7 is identical to that of Slates 1, 4, 6 and 9, except that those other slates may not specifically identify themselves as Paul slates in drumming up votes. Sewell suspects that the Paulites may be up to some chicanery, hoping to draw votes to one of their slates by confusing people, but Davis denied that.

Delegate candidate vote totals will be tallied individually, but with most people expected to cast their ballot for a slate, being on more than one slate is a real advantage. In the 2nd Congressional District, among those appearing on Slates 2, 3 and 5 are former Rep. Anh "Joseph" Cao, Bryan Wagner and Winnie Brown. In the 1st District, candidates on Slates, 2, 3 and 5 include Michael Bayham, a leading Santorum supporter, Romney loyalist Shane French, Jefferson Parish President John Young, Suzanne Terrell and Polly Thomas. The only individual on Slate 2 who is not also on Slate 3 is former Rep. Bob Livingston.
more, about other people's slates, at link
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.s...s_prepare.html