Ted Cruz drops out of presidential race

Republican U.S. presidential candidate Ted Cruz announces that he is dropping out of the 2016 race for the Republican presidential nomination as his wife Heidi looks on at his Indiana primary night rally in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. May 3, 2016. REUTERS

WASHINTON: Ted Cruz suspended his White House campaign on Tuesday after suffering a crushing defeat in Indiana's primary, leaving the road wide open for Donald Trump to seize the Republican nomination.

"From the beginning, I've said that I would continue on as long as there was a viable path to victory. Tonight, I'm sorry to say, it appears that path has been foreclosed," the Texas senator told supporters in Indianapolis.

"We gave it everything we've got, but the voters chose another path," said Cruz, whose withdrawal leaves the low-polling John Kasich as Trump's sole challenger. - AFP