Ted Cruz Has Officially Dropped Out

On Tuesday night, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz announced he was suspending his campaign after losing in Indiana to Republican frontrunner Donald Trump. Why did Ted Cruz suspend his campaign? Cruz has had a hard time making strides in his campaign since his last win in Wisconsin on April 5, which he said was a "turning point" in his campaign. And now, just a month later, the Cruz campaign is calling it quits, and it looks like Donald Trump will secure the Republican nomination.

Cruz was adamant about the importance of winning Indiana, making campaign stops in the state ahead of the primary, joining forces with Ohio Gov. John Kasich, and announcing Carly Fiorina as his potential running mate. But was this all too late? After losing seven states in a row, Cruz is officially dropping out of the race because "voters chose another path." During his announcement, he said, "We left it all on the field in Indiana. ... And so with a heavy heart but with boundless optimism for the long term future of our nation, we are suspending our campaign."

Ahead of his victory in the state, Republican frontrunner Donald Trump tweeted, "Lyin' Ted Cruz consistently said that he will, and must, win Indiana. If he doesn't he should drop out of the race-stop wasting time & money." Looks like Cruz finally took Trump's advice.

With Cruz out of the way, Donald Trump's path to victory is looking a lot more clear. With his win in Indiana, Trump has won 45 of the state's 57 delegates (at the time of writing), and holds a total of 1,041 delegates. Republican candidates need 1,237 delegates to secure the nomination in order to avoid a contested convention, and with nine remaining primaries ahead, Trump is right on track for the win. However, even with Ted Cruz dropping out, it looks like John Kasich still isn't going anywhere. According to his senior strategist, John Weaver, "Tonight's results are not going to alter Gov. Kasich's campaign plans."

One thing is for sure: We are now one step closer to the general election.