UPDATED 4 a.m. Wednesday -- There will be no contested convention. The steam is gone from what might be the hottest Republican primary in history. Donald Trump -- an American original, the only presidential nominee in more than 150 years besides Dwight Eisenhower who never held office -- is the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party in 2016.
Following a devastating, 16-plus percentage-point loss in the Indiana primary, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz announced Tuesday night he was suspending his campaign. Cruz gave Trump the longest ride of any of the other 16 candidates in the GOP presidential race, including former Gov. Jeb Bush and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida.
"It is a beautiful thing to watch, and a beautiful thing to behold," Trump said during his victory speech. "We are going to make America great again."
Trump said Tuesday night he spoke with Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Preibus. And the chairman, who has had a contentious relationship with Trump, made it clear the real estate mogul would be at the top of the ticket in November.
"@realDonaldTrump will be presumptive @GOP nominee," Preibus tweeted. "We all need to unite and focus on defeating @HillaryClinton #NeverClinton"
Earlier in the evening, Cruz told supporters at an election night rally in Indianapolis, "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."
A surprised crowd gasped and booed as Cruz made the announcement.
"Together we left it all on the field in Indiana," Cruz said. "We gave it everything we got. But the voters chose another path."
Indiana was a state crucial for Cruz to win in order to prevent Trump from gaining the 1,237 delegates needed to secure the presidential nomination.
NBC News has reported Trump's commanding victory will deliver him well over 40 delegates, making it unlikely the frontrunner will fail to get a majority of the delegates.
The chief strategist for Ohio Gov. John Kasich, the other remaining GOP candidate, vowed their campaign will continue. With 98 percent of the vote in at 4 a.m. Wednesday, Trump had taken 53.3 percent of the vote, Cruz 36.6 percent and Kasich just 7.6 percent.
Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at 228-282-2423. Twitter: @NancyLBSmith
