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 The New York billionaire, who has never held public office, had
repeatedly defied pundits' predictions that his campaign would
implode. He prevailed despite making outrageous statements along the
way that drew biting criticism but still fed his anti-establishment
appeal.
Trump now can prepare for a match-up in the Nov. 8 election. Hillary
Clinton is expected to be his Democratic opponent, though her march
to the nomination was slowed by rival Bernie Sanders' victory over
her in Indiana.
Trump's immediate challenge is to unite deep fissures within the
Republican Party, easing tensions with party loyalists who are
appalled at his bullying style, his treatment of women and his
signature proposals to build a wall on the border with Mexico and
deport 11 million illegal immigrants.
The New York businessman himself called for unity in a speech at a
victory rally that was free of his usual bombast and flamboyance. He
also directed fire at Clinton.
 "We're going after Hillary Clinton," he said. "She will not be a
great president, she will not be a good president, she will be a
poor president. She doesn't understand trade."
Support for Trump among national Republicans had soared in recent
weeks to the highest level of the primary campaign, according to
Reuters/Ipsos polling. A recent poll found Trump with the support of
53 percent of Republican participants, well above Cruz at 25
percent. Ohio Governor John Kasich, the third Republican in the
race, had support of 16 percent.
In a potential general election match-up, however, Clinton led Trump
by about 10 percentage points among likely voters. The poll included
623 Democrats and 556 Republicans and had a credibility interval of
5 percentage points.
Trump's victory put to rest a belief that Republicans would choose
their nominee at a contested convention among party leaders in July.
Nonetheless, Kasich vowed to stay in the race until California holds
its primary on June 7.
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus called Trump
the party's presumptive nominee in a tweet and said, "We all need to
unite and focus" on defeating Clinton.
CRUZ: "VOTERS CHOSE ANOTHER PATH"
As the vote returns flowed in, Cruz announced that he had ended his
campaign in Indianapolis, with his wife, Heidi, at his side. Cruz,
45, sounding beaten but defiant, said he no longer saw a viable path
to the nomination.
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"We gave it everything we got. But the voters chose another path,
and so with a heavy heart, but with boundless optimism for the
long-term future of our nation, we are suspending our campaign,"
said Cruz, a U.S. senator from Texas.
Cruz's exit came as a surprise, and many Republicans who had
denounced Trump were grappling with what to do next.
Reuters/Ipsos polling in April found Cruz supporters split on whom
to support if their candidate quit. Thirty-eight percent of the
1,639 Cruz backers said they'd vote for the New York mogul in a
match-up between Trump and Clinton, while 21 percent chose Clinton.
About 40 percent of the Cruz supporters would not select either
candidate. The poll had a credibility interval of 3 percentage
points.
Lanhee Chen, who had advised former Republican candidate Marco
Rubio, on Tuesday night floated the possibility of a third-party
candidate.
"Tonight's outcome raises seriousness & urgency of discussions about
third-party alternative; how real it is depends on who steps up to
run," he tweeted.
Other prominent Republicans said they would support Trump. "It's
binary now. It's Trump or Clinton, my vote's for Trump," former
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, who dropped his own White House bid
in November 2015, said on Fox News.
(Additional reporting by Steve Holland and Megan Casella in
Washington, and Chris Kahn in New York; Writing by Emily Stephenson;
Editing by Leslie Adler)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
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