The Indiana presidential primary provided some Latino groups a clearer picture of the general election as Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, suspended his campaign, which improves Donald Trump's bid for the White House.

GOP Results from the Hoosier State

With 98 percent of the precincts reporting, Trump easily won Indiana's Republican presidential primary with 53.3 percent, just over 589,000 votes, and snagging at least 51 of the available 57 pledged delegates available. Cruz, who campaigned hard in the state, placed second with 36.6 percent, or approximately 406,000 votes, but it's unclear if he'll win delegates. Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who withdrew substantive campaigning efforts in Indiana, placed third with 7.6 percent, receiving nearly 84,000 votes.

Once the results started to pour in on Tuesday evening, the Cruz presidential campaign saw the writing on the wall and the junior Texas senator announced his campaign's suspension.

"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. ... We gave it everything we got but the voters chose another path. And so, and with a heavy heart, but with boundless optimism, for the long-term future of our nation, we are suspending our campaign," Cruz said on Tuesday night with his wife, Heidi, by his side.

Trump celebrated his Indiana win from Trump Tower in New York City, where he commended Cruz as a tough competitor and called for unity within the Republican Party. The businessman also welcomed the title as the presumptive presidential candidate for the GOP.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus tweeted about Trump's status in the GOP and also echoed the call to unite the party for the goal to defeat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Reaction to Cruz Dropping Out

"It's unfortunate that Ted Cruz chose to stand with the extreme wing of the Republican Party instead of supporting policies that would expand opportunities for Latinos, working families, and immigrants," said Cristobal Alex, president of Latino Victory Fund, an organization that supports Latinos to become politically engaged, in a statement on Tuesday night.

According to Alex, Cruz, the son of a Cuban immigrant, turned his back on the Latino community by following Trump's lead and support anti-Latino and anti-immigrant policies.

"Now that Donald Trump is the presumed Republican nominee, the Latino community must stand together against hate and make our voices heard -- let's send a message to the GOP that we won't stand for their bigotry, and throw our support behind Hillary Clinton, who has proven that she has our back and that she will do right by our community," added Alex, who has endorsed Clinton for president last February.

Ben Monterroso, executive director of Mi Familia Vota, a Latino civic engagement group with operations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Nevada and Texas, acknowledged that while Cruz followed a similar policy path as Trump, the New York businessman is now leading a political party based on "hateful rhetoric and attacks on immigrant, Muslim, Latino and minority communities."

"Our community has paid close attention to the proposals, values, and words that Mr. Trump has used to try to secure the GOP nomination, and our community will not forget," Monterroso shared on Tuesday night. "We are organizing, mobilizing and getting ready to hold accountable at the ballot box those candidates and elected officials who have supported the attacks presented during the campaign trail against our families."

Sanders Building a Comeback?

Democrats also had a presidential primary in Indiana on Tuesday. With 83 pledged delegates at stake, it was a narrow finish that favored Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. Sanders won with 52.7 percent, or nearly 331,500 votes, to Clinton's 47.3 percent, or approximately 297,000 votes.

The delegate count, however, was also narrow. Sanders is expected to win 43 delegates, while Clinton will have 38 delegates. Clinton does have additional support from seven superdelegates from Indiana.

"The Clinton campaign thinks this campaign is over. They're wrong," said Sanders, thanking Indiana voters for his 18th primary election victory. "Maybe it's over for the insiders and the party establishment, but the voters in Indiana had a different idea. The campaign wasn't over for them. It isn't over for the voters in West Virginia. It isn't over for Democrats in Oregon, New Jersey and Kentucky. It isn't over for voters in California and all the other states with contests still to come."

Sander said he will campaign until the last vote is cast and would like to defeat Trump, adding the businessman is "someone who must never become president of this country."

The Clinton campaign was quiet on primary night, but a statement from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta took aim to Trump and November's general election.

"Fundamentally, our next president will need to do two things: keep our nation safe in a dangerous world and help working families get ahead here at home. Donald Trump is not prepared to do either," said Podesta. "Throughout this campaign, Donald Trump has demonstrated that he's too divisive and lacks the temperament to lead our nation and the free world. With so much at stake, Donald Trump is simply too big of a risk."

He continued, "Hillary Clinton has proven that she has the strength to keep us safe in an uncertain world and a lifelong record of fighting to break down the barriers--economic and social--that hold working families back. While Donald Trump seeks to bully and divide Americans, Hillary Clinton will unite us to create an economy that works for everyone."

The next Republican primary is May 10 in Nebraska and West Virginia. Democrats will also have a contest in West Virginia on May 10, but a caucus is scheduled in Guam on May 7.

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For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com.

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