After losing Indiana on Tuesday to
Donald Trump, Ted Cruz dropped out of the race to become the
Republican presidential nominee, clearing a path for Trump to secure
the nomination.
“We left it all on the field in
Indiana,” Cruz told a group of supporters. “We gave it
everything we've got but the voters chose another path. So with a
heavy heart but with boundless optimism for the long-term future of
our nation, we are suspending our campaign.”
With 98 percent of precincts reporting,
Trump won 53.3 percent of the vote in Indiana, giving him all of the
state's 51 delegates.
Earlier in the day, as voters headed to
the polls, Cruz attacked Trump during a news conference, calling him
a “pathological liar” unfit for the White House. Trump had
previously referred to Cruz as “lying Ted.”
Cruz unloaded on Trump after he
repeated a tabloid story that connected Cruz's father to the
assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
“Donald Trump is a such a narcissist
that [President] Barack Obama looks at him and says, 'Dude, what's
your problem?'” Cruz told reporters.
“Whatever lie he's telling, in that
minute he believes it.”
“If Indiana does not act, this
country could plunge into the abyss,” he added.
With Cruz suspending his campaign, Ohio
Governor John Kasich becomes Trump's lone rival for the GOP
nomination, though he's won only one primary contest.