Ted Cruz drops out with one last shot at Trump: Senator leaves the race 'with a heavy heart' and appears to snipe at his 'mean spirited' rival after disaster in Indiana

• e-mail

Ted Cruz quit the caustic Republican primary race Tuesday after getting routed by Donald Trump in Indiana and deciding there was no way he could stop the bombastic real estate mogul from seizing the party's nomination.

‘From the beginning, I’ve said that I would continue on as long as there was a viable path to victory,' the Texas senator told a crowd of stunned supporters Tuesday night, as the full magnitude of his loss was still being realized.

'Tonight, I’m sorry to say … it appears that path has been foreclosed,’ Cruz continued, to shouts of ‘No!’ from his supporters.'

'And so with heavy heart, but with boundless optimism for the long-term future of our nation, we are suspending our campaign,' Cruz said.

Scroll down for videos 

See ya! Texas Senator Ted Cruz is dropping out of the Republican presidential race after suffering a humiliating defeat in the Indiana primary 

Earlier on Tuesday, Cruz had shown no signs of fading away. After holding a furious press conference where he ripped Trump as a habitual 'liar' and 'serial philanderer'. The story changed dramatically by Tuesday night 

'I understand how Ted feels,' said Trump – hours after linking Cruz's dad to the JFK assassination

‘Together, we left it all on the field in Indiana,’ Cruz told his backers – notably using a football reference, after infamously botching a basketball reference during his Indiana campaign.

Cruz told a crowd in Indiana: ‘We gave it everything we’ve 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.

Cruz didn't mention Trump by name – though he appeared to single him out when he said, 'We are not boastful or mean spirited."

He dropped repeated references to Ronald Reagan and defense of the Constitution, keeping a path open for any future White House run.

Cruz embraced his running mate, Carly Fiorina, after announcing he was stepping aside from the race. He told his fans he would not be ending his fight for liberty

At least we have each other: Cruz hugs his dad Rafael and wife Heidi but not before cracking her in the face

Cruz also hugged his father Rafael and held onto wife Heidi after the emotional speech in Indianapolis, Indiana 

Thanks for the support: Ted hugs Heidi close to him; his wife has been the victim of character attacks by Donald Trump while on the campaign trail

He reached towards one of his supporters at the front of the audience as he left the stage, ending his campaign for the presidency 

'But hear me now, I am not suspending our fight for liberty,' Cruz said.

‘God bless the Hoosier state,’ Cruz said at the start of a long speech where he hailed American values, despite the unequivocal loss. 

Trump appeared in Trump Tower in Manhattan not long after Cruz's and spoke magnanimously about his vanquished rival – who just hours before he repeatedly referred to by the moniker 'Lyin' Ted.' 

'Just so you understand, Ted Cruz – I don’t know if he likes me or doesn’t like me, but he is one hell of a competitor. He is a tough, smart guy,' Trump said.

'And he has got an amazing future,' Trump continued. 'He’s got an amazing future, so I want to congratulate Ted. I know how tough it is. It’s tough. I’ve had some moments where it was not looking so good and it’s not a great feeling.'

'I understand how Ted feels, and Heidi [Cruz], and their whole beautiful family. And I just want to say he's one tough competitor. And I can say that for the others,' Trump added.

Later in his remarks, Trump returned to Cruz again.

'What Ted did is really a very brave thing to do ... we want to bring unity to the Republican party. We have to bring unity,' Trump said.

Cruz showed no signs of fading away earlier Tuesday when he uncorked a furious tirade at Trump after Trump linked his father to the JFK assassination by citing an unconfirmed report in the National Enquirer.

Cruz ripped Trump as a habitual 'liar' and 'serial philanderer,' and brought up past grudges such as when Trump forwarded about his wife.

Cruz himself elevated Indiana to a must-win test for himself, saying the nation was facing 'the abyss' and camping out in the state. 

He even had the field partially cleared when Ohio Gov. John Kasich agreed not to campaign in the state as part of a controversial pact that fizzled anyway.

But his campaign showed signs of strain and endured uncomfortable mishaps in the campaign’s final days. Cruz awkwardly referred to a ‘basketball ring’ on a famed Hoosier court, then named Carly Fiorina as his ‘running mate’ in a desperate bid to shake up the race.

Fiorina delivered some slashing lines against Trump, but on Sunday night she toppled from a stage at a Cruz rally, providing more fodder for the bizarre 2016 campaign season. 

No path to the nomination: Trump recorded a crush win in Indiana, taking all 57 delegates on board

Former vice-presidential candidate Carly Fiorina speaks to the crowd before Cruz's speech 

She then watched as the emotional Republican hugged members of his family, including father Rafael

She then turned to Cruz and gave him a hug. Fiorina was announced as running mate in a last-ditched bid to reignite the campaign  

Twice a loser: Carly Fiorina, who dropped out of the race early on, ended up losing again before the presidential election race proper could start, an unprecedented turn of events 

In another tough break, Cruz decided to confront a protester in Indiana who repeatedly got the better of him, mocking the senator to his face as 'Lyin' Ted' and calling him 'Canadian.'

With Cruz out, Trump's only remaining competitor is Kasich, who holds press and fundraising events in DC Wednesday.

Trump still could find himself getting hit on the airwaves.

Katie Packer, chair of the Our Principles super PAC released a statement vowing to continue to 'educate' voters about Trump. 

'We continue to give voice to the belief of so many Republicans that Trump is not a conservative, does not represent the values of the Republican Party, cannot beat Hillary Clinton, and is simply unfit to be President of the United States,' she said in a statement. 

Top GOP election lawyer Ben Ginsberg said one of the emerging questions is whether the Republican National Committee would ‘turn over the keys to the kingdom’ to Trump now that he is the presumptive nominee.

The main question, he said, is whether the RNC will let him run the convention.

'There are still enough traps in the rules that I know the Trump people are aware of that they have to guard against,' he said.

Although he was hated by many of his colleagues in DC, Cruz became the embodiment of some of prominent members of the establishment as the last chance to defeat Trump.

He even won the support of South Carolina Lindsey Graham, who is considered a deal-maker who eschews tactics like the disastrous government shutdown. 

Cruz's loss in Indiana was overwhelming.  With 85 per cent of the vote counted, Cruz was trailing Trump by 37 to 53.

Despite repeated appeals to his faith, and blasting Trump for cursing and boastfulness, he lost evangelical voters to Trump, according to exit polls. 

A Cruz supporter stands in the crowd looking completely dejected as Cruz announces he is dropping out of the race 

Eleanor Darragh, Cruz's mother, looks emotional as she listens to him announce he is suspending his campaign 

Trump's campaign manager Corey Lewandowski (left) and other members of the campaign staff watch Ted Cruz as he gives his withdrawal speech during a primary night news conference