INDIANAPOLIS–Donald Trump has won the Republican presidential primary in Indiana, continuing his surge toward clinching the GOP nomination, and leading his closest competitor, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, to announce the suspension of his campaign.
Bernie Sanders is the projected winner for the Democrats. He told The Associated Press that he has won a “great upset victory” in Indiana over rival Hillary Clinton and he expects “more victories in the weeks to come.”
The Vermont senator said after his victory “the Clinton campaign thinks this campaign is over. They’re wrong.”
The win for Trump was a blow to Cruz, who fell even further behind the billionaire in the race for the 1,237 delegates needed to claim the Republican nomination. Trump collected at least 45 of the available 57 delegates at stake, bringing his total so far to 1,041.
When Cruz took the stage to concede the race around 8:30 p.m., news broke that he’d be ending his presidential campaign, something that shocked many who thought he’d stick around until the bitter end. Most political pundits are now saying that means Trump is the presumptive Republican nominee.
“I said that I’d continue on as long as there was a viable path to the nomination. Tonight, I’m sorry to say it appears that path has been foreclosed. Together, we left it all on the field in Indiana. We gave it everything we’ve got. But the voters chose another path. So, it’s with a heavy heart, but with boundless optimism for the long-term future of our nation, we are suspending our campaign,” Cruz said Tuesday night in Indiana.
The news comes after his campaign failed to build momentum, and especially when he failed to win Indiana, something he tried hard to do by campaigning in the state during the Acela primary race last Tuesday instead of one of the states with a race: Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and Rhode Island.
On April 24, Cruz and John Kasich issued startling statements about their plan to coordinate to deny Trump the Republican presidential nomination.
Within minutes of each other, the pair issued statements saying they will divide their efforts in upcoming contests, with Cruz focusing on Indiana and Kasich devoting his efforts to Oregon and New Mexico. The strategy was aimed at blocking Trump from gaining the 1,237 delegates necessary to claim to GOP nomination this summer.
Cruz campaign manager Jeff Roe said at the time the Texas senator would focus on the May 3 Indiana primary, while the Ohio governor would have a free hand in the Oregon and New Mexico primaries in the flowing weeks.
It seems that strategy did not work at defeating Trump, though it may have prevented him from winning all 57 delegates up for grabs.
Kasich released the following statement after Cruz’s announcement:
Stay with FOX 61 as more results roll in.
With additional reporting from the Associated Press and CNN.
