Not many people seem to like him in his own Republican Party or the country's establishment, but billionaire real estate mogul Donald Trump is hitting the right notes with the American public.
On Tuesday night, Trump continued his winning streak by ousting his closest rival senator Ted Cruz with a resounding win in Indiana state. Cruz, who after a string of defeats was banking heavily on Indiana to bail him out, announced that he was suspending his campaign, immediately after the results were declared.
In the Democratic race, Bernie Sanders defeated Hillary Clinton and won the Indiana primary by a narrow margin. Clinton however continues to maintain a healthy lead against Sanders, with 2,215 delegates in the bag as against 1,442 of Sanders. A democratic candidate needs to win 2,383 delegates to secure the presidential nomination.
On Sunday, at a campaign rally, Trump told a capacity crowd that, "If we win Indiana, it is finished." His words turned out to be prophetic, because immediately after Trump won the Indiana primary with an emphatic win over Cruz, the latter suspended his campaign. This means that Trump now becomes the presumptive presidential nominee of the Republican Party even with important primaries like California coming up. According to political observers in the US, Trump now looks to be on course to will the 1,237 delegates by the time the primaries' end.
After Indiana's win, Trump now has 1,053 delegates under his belt, while his closes rival John Kasich has won only 156 delegates so far. Cruz who has now suspended his campaign had won 572 delegates.
Speaking to his supporters at his headquarters in Indianapolis, after his defeat, a sombre Cruz said, "From the beginning I have said that I would continue as long as there was a viable path to victory. Tonight I am sorry to say it appears that the path has been foreclosed."
Amidst cries of tearful supporters, Cruz announced, "With a heavy heart but with boundless optimism for the long-term future of our nation, we are suspending our campaign."
Meanwhile, speaking from his campaign headquarters – Trump Towers in New York – Donald Trump declared that he will be leading the Republican Party to victory in the Presidential race in November this year. It suggested that the Republican Party, which is also called the Grand Old Party (GOP), had no other option but to nominate Trump as its presidential candidate.
As if almost on cue, Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus tweeted, "@realDonaldTrump will be presumptive @GOP nominee, we will need to unite and focus on defeating @HillaryClinton #NeverClinton."
The Republican Party:
Donald Trump – 1,053 delegates.
Ted Cruz – 572 delegates. (Campaign suspended).
John Kasich – 156 delegates.
A Republican candidate needs to win a total of 1,237 delegates to become the party nominee for the presidential elections.
Democratic Party:
Hillary Clinton – 2,215 delegates.
Bernie Sanders – 1,442 delegates.
A Democratic Party candidate needs to win a total of 2,383 delegates to be nominated as the party nominee for the presidential elections.
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