After winning Tuesday’s Indiana Republican primary with 53% of the vote to Ted Cruz’s 36%, Donald Trump has likely sealed the GOP nomination for President of the United States.
Trump now has 1,007 delegates, 230 away from the number needed to secure the nomination and almost twice Cruz’s delegate count. Seeing no viable way to deny Trump the remaining delegates to force a contested Republican Convention, Cruz announced his withdrawal from the race last night.
“We gave it everything we’ve got, but the voters chose another path,” Cruz said. “But hear me now: I am not suspending our fight for liberty. I am not suspending our fight to defend the Constitution. To defend the Judeo-Christian values that built America.” He did not mention Trump, whom he called a “pathological liar” and “narcissist” earlier in the day.
In his victory speech, Trump called Cruz a “a tough, smart, guy” with “an amazing future,” and promised, “we’re going after Hillary Clinton,” “we’re going to win in November, and we’re going to win big.”
Trump and Cruz both ran as pro-life candidates, though the former favors rape and incest exceptions (and wants them added to the GOP platform) while the latter does not. Many have also questioned Trump’s credibility on the subject, as he supported partial-birth abortion in 1999, has floated potential judicial nominees with mixed records on abortions, repeatedly praised Planned Parenthood during the campaign, and has displayed unfamiliarity with pro-life thought on topics such as punishing abortionists rather than women for abortions.
Ohio Governor John Kasich is expected to announce today that he will also end his bid for the GOP nomination, leaving the race having won just 153 delegates and no states other than his home state.
