Donald Trump seized the mantle of Republican standard-bearer for the 2016 presidential election late Tuesday, sending his only serious challenger Ted Cruz crashing out of the White House race.
Donald Trump seized the mantle of Republican standard-bearer for the 2016 presidential election late Tuesday, sending his only serious challenger Ted Cruz crashing out of the White House race.
Ohio governor John Kasich was also expected to suspend his presidential campaign on Wednesday, a move that would leave frontrunner Donald Trump as the sole Republican candidate in the White House race. After charging to victory in Indiana, the unorthodox, anti-establishment candidate embraced the role of de facto nominee and trained his sights on the Democrat most likely to face him in the battle for the White House.
“We’re going after Hillary Clinton,” the billionaire real estate mogul told jubilant supporters gathered at Trump Tower in New York to celebrate the victory.
“We’re going to win in November, and we’re going to win big.”
Tuesday’s contest in the midwestern state was the final firewall thrown up by Republican heavyweights to keep their brash, name-calling antagonist from locking in the party’s nomination.
Ms Clinton, meanwhile, suffered a shock upset in Indiana as her Democratic rival Bernie Sanders mounted a come-from-behind victory, denying the former secretary of state a feather in her cap as she seeks to claim her party's nomination. The self-declared democratic socialist beat Ms Clinton 52.5 per cent to 47.5 per cent.
