Washington: Donald Trump is set to earn the Republican presidential nomination after registering a decisive victory in the Indiana primary and Ted Cruz’s decision to abandon the campaign for the White House.
It is notable that Trump is yet to formally secure the 1,237 delegates he needs to win the nomination but he is unlikely to face any serious challenge in his path to win the nomination in June.
“It is a beautiful thing to watch, and a beautiful thing to behold,” Trump said during a victory speech. “We are going to make America great again.”
Cruz left no stone unturned to secure victory in Indiana, including the decision to select Carly Fiorina as his running mate. Cruz also reached an understanding with John Kasich so that he can focus on Indiana and the Ohio governor get time to campaign in later states. But all his moves failed.
“We left it all on the field in Indiana. We gave it everything we’ve got but the voters chose another path,” Cruz said. “So with a heavy heart but with boundless optimism for the long-term future of our nation, we are suspending our campaign.”
With 82% of the vote in at 9:50 p.m. ET, Trump was in the lead with 53.1 % of the vote while Cruz was at 36.6%. Kasich was at 7.6%.
For his part, Kasich insisted he would remain in the race. “Tonight’s results are not going to alter Gov. Kasich’s campaign plans,” said John Weaver, Kasich’s chief strategist. “Our strategy has been and continues to be one that involves winning the nomination at an open convention.”
Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders is on course to win the Indiana Democratic primary, according to a CNN projection. A victory in Indiana is set to boost the morale of Sanders’ campaign but it may not dent Hillary Clinton’s large delegate lead that has her on track for the nomination. By 9.40 p.m., Sanders had 52.9% of the vote, with 75 % of votes counted. Clinton had 47.1%