Politics, Americas

Trump wins Indiana as Cruz drops US presidential bid

Republican front-runner expected to clinch party’s nomination in California primary in June

04.05.2016 - Update : 04.05.2016
Trump wins Indiana as Cruz drops US presidential bid Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally. (Samuel Corum - Anadolu Agency)

By Esra Kaymak Avci 

WASHINGTON

Real estate mogul Donald Trump won the Indiana primary Tuesday, all but assuring him the Republican Party’s presidential nomination, while Texas Sen. Ted Cruz dropped out of the race.

"It is a beautiful thing to watch, and a beautiful thing to behold," Trump said in his victory speech. "We are going to make America great again."

While the primary was hailed as an important victory for Trump, Cruz was not expected to bid farewell to the race while he still held wide support amongst Republicans voters.

Surprisingly, Trump praised Cruz during his speech and described him as a "tough, smart guy,” after the pair engaged in a vicious war of words while on the campaign trail.

Trump said that he would now go after the Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton.

"She will not be a great president. She will not be a good president. She will be a poor president," he said.

Before Trump took his victory lap, Cruz announced that he was suspending his campaign.

"We left it all on the field in Indiana. We gave it everything we've got but the voters chose another path," he said. "So with a heavy heart but with boundless optimism for the long-term future of our nation, we are suspending our campaign."

Trump took more than 53 percent of the vote Tuesday. Ohio Gov. John Kasich placed third with 7 percent. Cruz was second with 37 percent.

Though having the lowest percentage of votes, Kasich insisted he would continue to run.

With his win, Trump is well on his way to securing the number of delegates to guarantee his party’s nomination.

Trump now has 1,041 delegates while his only rival, Kasich, has 153.

A total of 1,237 delegates are needed for the Republican nomination – a figure Trump is projected to reach by the California primary June 7, ahead of the party’s convention a month later.

On the Democrat side, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders won the Indiana’s primary with 53 percent of the vote to Clinton’s 46 percent.

The result is not expected to alter that party’s race with Clinton far ahead of Sanders in the delegate count.

The former first lady has 2,201 delegates. Sanders has just 1,399. A total of 2,383 delegates are needed for the Democratic Party’s nomination.

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