Ted Cruz suspended his campaign with a “heavy heart” Tuesday evening. The announcement came after a crushing loss in the state of Indiana.
Cruz has said he would stay in the race as long as there was a viable path to the nomination. He told the crowd in Indiana, “Tonight I’m sorry to say it appears that path has been foreclosed.”
The crowd booed but Cruz continued on. “Together we left it all open the field in Indiana, we gave everything we got. The voters chose another path,” Cruz said.
Donald Trump’s win in Indiana puts him on the cusp of clinching the Republican nomination.
“His path to 1237 is clear and he can get there any number of ways,” Matt Mackowiak, a GOP consultant.
The Republican National Committee declared Trump the party’s “presumable nominee” in a written statement issued after Cruz’s announcement.
That makes it almost official—this race is over. Ohio Gov. John Kasich remains in the running but at this point, it’s more than likely Trump will get the 1,237 delegates required to win the nomination.
“You’re going to see surprising political figures get behind Trump,” Mackowiak said.
It was mathematically impossible for Cruz path to the nomination during the primary season. His only hope was to go to a contested contest at the Republican National Convention. Trump’s victory in Indiana made that possibility unlikely.
After 13 months on the campaign trail, the Texas Senator won nine states and more than 570 delegates but now, his run is over.
Cruz did not mention Trump or the Republican Party during the announcement. Cruz has dodged questions about whether he would support Trump as the GOP’s nominee.
“I’m not suspending our fight for liberty. I’m not suspending our fight to defend the constitution,” Cruz said, “our movement will continue.”