Indiana voters didn’t get the memo from the Democratic and Republican establishments on Tuesday, handing victories to the two candidates that make party leadership especially uneasy.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) beat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by five points with nearly all the votes counted. The senator was buoyed by the state’s open primary rules, which allow independents to participate in the nomination process—a group that Sanders won with 73 percent of on Tuesday.
Despite the victory, Sanders and Clinton are walking away from the Hoosier state with roughly a split in delegates.
Although his chances of passing Clinton in pledged delegates ahead of the Democratic Convention are slim to none, Sanders’ supporters remain undeterred in their quest to nominate the democratic socialist.
“I know the Clinton campaign thinks this campaign is over,” Sanders told reporters after the win. “They’re wrong,” He went on to predict more victories in the remaining states left on the primary calendar, which include delegate-rich states like California and Oregon.
Following the results in Indiana, surprisingly, only Democrats still have a competition for the top of their ticket.
On the Republican side, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) dropped out of the race Tuesday night, after losing to Donald Trump 53 to 37 percent—clearing the way for the outspoken businessman with a flare for the fascistic to be the GOP’s presidential candidate in the fall.
“From the beginning I’ve said that I would continue on as long as there was a viable path to victory,” Cruz told a crowd of downbeat supporters. “Tonight I’m sorry to say it appears that path has been foreclosed. With a heavy heart but with boundless optimism for the long-term future of our nation, we are suspending our campaign.”
Gov. John Kasich (R-Ohio), who finished a distant third in Indiana, is pledging to stay in the race to continue giving voters a choice other than Trump. Without Cruz, however, it’s all but assured that the billionaire real estate mogul will secure the 1,237 delegates he needs to win the GOP nomination ahead of the convention in July.
Republican National Committee chairman Reince Preibus is now calling for party unity. He tweeted on Tuesday night that Trump “will be the presumptive GOP nominee, we all need to unite and focus on defeating Hillary Clinton.” He played off the #NeverTrump campaign, with a “#NeverHillary” sign off.
Trump, meanwhile was feeling confident at an election night rally in New York. “Were going to win in November,” he told supporters.
