Ted Cruz ends his presidential campaign after crushing loss to Trump in Indiana
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz announced on Tuesday night that he would no longer actively seek the Republican nomination for president.
The decision to suspend his campaign came after a crushing loss in the Republican primary race in Indiana, a state Cruz had put considerable efforts into winning.
SEE ALSO: KASICH: I'm staying in the race until Trump hits the magic number
"With a heavy heart, but with boundless optimism for the long-term future of our nation, we are suspending our campaign," he said to supporters shortly after losing the race on Tuesday night. "But hear me now, I am not suspending our fight for liberty."
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said in a tweet shortly after Cruz's announcement that Trump would be presumptive Republican nominee and that the party should unite and focus on defeating Hillary Clinton.
.@realDonaldTrump will be presumptive @GOP nominee, we all need to unite and focus on defeating @HillaryClinton#NeverClinton
— Reince Priebus (@Reince) May 4, 2016
Cruz had been resilient in his effort to stop Donald Trump from becoming the Republican nominee in the days leading up to the primary. Last week he announced he would choose former rival Carly Fiorina as his vice presidential pick, were he to win the primary race, much earlier than most candidates typically name a running mate.
Trump addressed Cruz's decision without directly referencing it in his victory speech Tuesday night, calling Cruz "one hell of a competitor."
"He is got an amazing future, so I want to congratulate Ted," Trump said.
See how supporters reacted to Cruz's announcement:
The first hopeful to enter the 2016 race for the White House, Cruz championed his strong Christian values throughout his campaign and vowed to protect the Constitution if elected.
Last month his campaign agreed to a "Stop Trump" alliance with Ohio Governor John Kasich's team. The plan involved Kasich dropping campaign efforts in Indiana to help Cruz win delegates, while Cruz vowed to return the favor in Oregon and New Mexico.
Trump's delegate count stands at 1,041 after Tuesday night's results. Cruz has 565 and Kasich has 153. A Republican candidate would need 1,237 in order to become the party's nominee.
