Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump all but locked up the Republican 2016 nomination Tuesday night after scoring a win in the in primary and knocking out his closest rival.
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“With a heavy heart, but with boundless optimism for the long-term future of our nation, we are suspending our campaign”, Cruz said Tuesday.
Clinton meanwhile suffered an upset in IN as her Democratic rival Bernie Sanders mounted a come-from-behind victory, denying the former secretary of state a feather in her cap as she seeks their party’s presidential nomination.
Governor Susana Martinez previously endorsed Marco Rubio, but after he dropped out, she remained neutral.
“Sen. Ted Cruz just dropped out of the presidential race and it’s up to us to stop Trump and unify our party in time to defeat Hillary Clinton”, Kasich campaign manager Ben Hansen said in the email, which also asked supporters to donate money.
“From the beginning I’ve said I’d continue on as long as there was a viable path to victory”. Trump, at a victory rally at Trump Tower in NY, walked on stage with wife Melania and other family members as the Rolling Stones’ “Start Me Up” blared over loudspeakers.
Kasich will now pitch himself as the lone alternative to what his advisers see as an immensely damaging election up and down the ballot for Republicans, one adviser said.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the United States, Feb. 1, 2016. “While Donald Trump seeks to bully and divide Americans, Hillary Clinton will unite us to create an economy that works for everyone”, he said.
With Sanders’ narrow victory Tuesday, he picked up at least 43 of Indiana’s 83 delegates.
If he does lose to Trump tonight, his hopes of stopping his march to the 1,237 delegates needed to clinch the GOP nomination becomes even more dim.
Cruz announced his decision to dismayed supporters in Indianapolis. Bernie Sanders won the Indiana’s primary with 53 percent of the vote to Clinton’s 46 percent.
That scenario would require Trump to fall short of the majority 1,237 delegates in the Republican race. Mr Sanders has cultivated a deeply loyal following, in particular among young people, a group Democrats count on in the general election.
Ben Carson, another former presidential candidate, said on Fox News that Trump’s win in IN showed the voters wanted to supersede the narrative and ensure the nominee would not be decided in a contested convention.
On the Democratic side, more than 7 in 10 in the state say they’ve been energized by the nomination contest between Clinton and Sanders.
Mr Kasich trails Donald Trump by almost 900 delegates.
The former first lady has 2,201 delegates.
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With his narrow IN victory, Mr Sanders picked up at least 43 of the state’s 83 delegates.
