Ted Cruz Calls Time On 2016 White House Bid

Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz has suspended his White House campaign after being soundly defeated in Indiana.

The Texas senator , who previously vowed to fight on to the party's convention, shocked supporters in Indianapolis by announcing his exit.

"We left it all on the field in Indiana," Mr Cruz said. "We gave it everything we've got but the voters chose another path.

"With a heavy heart, but with boundless optimism for the long term future of our nation, we are suspending our campaign."

The announcement came on the heels of Republican front runner Donald Trump's emphatic win in the Hoosier State primary.

The Cruz campaign had high hopes for Indiana, particularly after he and rival John Kasich formed an unlikely alliance in a last-gasp bid to stop Mr Trump.

Tensions were clearly high heading into Tuesday as Mr Cruz and Mr Trump engaged in their latest volley of harsh personal attacks .

But following a string of defeats in the northeast, and with the billionaire businessman poised to take all of Indiana's 57 delegates, the writing was on the wall for the conservative firebrand.

Not even the late addition of former technology executive Carly Fiorina to the Cruz ticket was enough to overcome Mr Trump's growing lead.

Mr Cruz rode into Washington on a wave of tea party support in 2010, and quickly established himself as a thorn in the side of both Democrats and Republicans.

Just last week, former Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner referred to Mr Cruz as "Lucifer in the flesh".

Although the junior senator's White House bid was viewed as unlikely, he received a massive boost when he won the all-important Iowa caucuses in February with the support of the state's large evangelical population.

He would go on to win eight more states in the months to follow, with his last victory coming in Wisconsin on 5 April.

Mr Cruz still holds his US Senate seat for another two years before facing re-election in 2018.