Republicans are waging a shadow primary for control of delegates
Many on FR have posted that 'only the Dems have superdelegates'.
The implication, of course, is that the GOP leaders would never stoop to finagling convention delegates. Those 'extra' delegates the GOP allows are not 'superdelegates' and have little impact on the determination of the nominee.
The GOP's problem with that COULD be that a candidate gains more than enough delegates to counter any finagling at the convention.
The GOP doesn’t really have superdelegates because state parties can bind their votes in various ways. Dem SDs really are free agents.
The RNC allows them to be uncommitted, but also allows their votes to be determined.
They are automatic delegates in the sense that they don’t have to be elected at a state convention. However, since they are RNC members, state party members have indeed voted on them.