Ted Cruz dropped out of the Republican presidential race Tuesday,
following a crushing loss to Donald Trump in the Indiana primary.
“From the beginning, I said would continue on as long as there was a
viable path to victory. Tonight, I’m sorry to say, it appears that path
has been foreclosed,” Cruz said at a rally in Indianapolis.
“Together we left it all on the field in Indiana. We gave it everything we got. But the voters chose another path,” he added.
“And so, with a heavy heart, but with boundless optimism for the
long-term term future of our nation, we are suspending our campaign,”
said Cruz, who was flanked by his wife, Heidi, two daughters and running
mate, Carly Fiorina.
The announcement came less than an hour after the pivotal Indiana GOP primary was called for Trump.
With nearly 60% of the state’s precincts reporting, Trump had the
support of 53% of Indiana Republican voters, compared with just 37% for
Cruz and 8% for John Kasich.
Cruz had been mathematically eliminated from winning the 1,237
delegates needed to secure the GOP nomination outright on April 26,
following Trump’s clean sweep in the “Acela” primary.
But the Texas senator had vowed to continue, relying on the hope that Trump himself would never get to the 1,237 magic number.
In that event, the Republican National Convention in July would be
contested — an outcome that would free all delegates in Cleveland to
support whomever they desired and open up a path to the nomination for
Cruz.
Trump’s Hoosier State win, however, paved a clear path to 1,237 for the
mogul, making a contested convention improbable, if not totally
impossible.
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