In what will be remembered perhaps as one of the campaign’s most defining moments, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz on Tuesday announced he was dropping out of the GOP race. Cruz broke the bad news to his supporters following yet another disappointing primary showing in the Hoosier State of Indiana, where rival Donald Trump swept the competition with a whopping 53 percent of the vote. The erstwhile Republican presidential candidate made it clear in a campaign rally that despite his decision, he would continue to add his voice to the dialogue in different ways.

“From the beginning, I said I would continue on as long as there was a viable path to victory,” Cruz said. “Tonight, I am sorry to say, it appears that path has been foreclosed. We are suspending our campaign — but hear me now: I am not suspending my fight for liberty. … I give you my word that I will continue this fight with all of my strength and all of my heart.”

Cruz had gone into the Indiana primary with lagging numbers, sitting behind Trump with a disappointing 29 percent support overall, according to a RealClearPolitics poll aggregate. (Trump, in contrast, stood head and shoulders above the Texas senator with 45 percent.) A last-ditch effort to gather votes by appointing former HP CEO and Republican rival Carly Fiorina as his running mate did little to boost his numbers. By Tuesday night, it was clear that the beleaguered Cruz had run out of steam.

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Image: Gage Skidmore