Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz is quitting the race following his latest defeat to Donald Trump in Indiana, Politico reported Tuesday night, citing Cruz’s campaign manager Jeff Roe.
Cruz later confirmed he was dropping out in a speech to supporters in Indianapolis.
The Texas senator had appeared likely to go all the way to the Republican convention, but a string of massive losses in the Northeast, and his subsequent defeat in Indiana, appear to have convinced him there’s no way forward.
"From the beginning, I said I would continue on as long as there was a viable path to victory," Cruz said in Tuesday night's speech.
"Tonight, I'm sorry to say, it appears that path has been foreclosed. Together we left it all on the field in Indiana. We gave it everything we got. But the voters chose another path. And so, with a heavy heart, but with boundless optimism for the long-term future of our nation, we are suspending our campaign," he added, in comments quoted by The Hill.
Cruz lost Indiana despite pulling out all the stops, including a pact with fellow Republican candidate John Kasich and even naming his running mate – former HP CEO Carly Fiorina, who ran for the Republican nomination but dropped out early.
But despite Cruz’s decision to drop out, Kasich’s presidential campaign announced Tuesday evening that the Ohio governor has no intention of dropping out.
“Tonight’s results are not going to alter Gov. Kasich’s campaign plans,” Kasich’s chief strategist, John Weaver, said in a statement quoted by The Hill.
“Our strategy has been and continues to be one that involves winning the nomination at an open convention. The comments from Trump, on the verge of winning in Indiana, heighten the differences between Governor Kasich and his positive, inclusive approach and the disrespectful ramblings from Donald Trump,” he added.