After a crushing loss in Indiana, Ted Cruz has made the decision Tuesday to drop out of the 2016 presidential race, his campaign manager told The New York Times.
“I said I would continue on as long as there is a viable path to victory. Tonight, I’m sorry to say, it appears that path has been foreclosed,” Cruz told his supporters, according to The Washington Post. “Together we left it all on the field in Indiana. We gave it everything we got, but the voters chose another path.”
The end of Cruz’s campaign is somewhat surprising, as he only brought on former candidate Carly Fiorina as his potential running mate last week. However, Cruz was far behind Trump even before Indiana. While Cruz earned 546 delegates, Trump now has 1,001 delegates—only 236 away from the Republican nomination. Cruz also struggled with likability throughout his campaign. John Boehner called Cruz “Lucifer in the flesh” last week, and he could barely get any support from his fellow Senators.
John Kasich, however, plans to stay in the race, even though he only has 153 delegates—fewer than Marco Rubio had when he dropped out of the race several weeks ago.
“Tonight’s results are not going to alter Gov. Kasich’s campaign plans,” Kasich’s chief strategist, John Weaver, wrote in a memo. “Our strategy has been and continues to be one that involves winning the nomination at an open convention.”
It’s really looking like Donald Trump will be our 2016 Republican nominee.