After sweeping victories across Maryland, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Delaware last Tuesday, billionaire real estate mogul Trump adds to his delegate lead.
Trump will add at least 45 delegates to his lead. With 63% reporting, Trump currently leads 53% to Cruz's 37% and Kasich's 8%.
With this win, Trump moves closer to earning the 1,237 delegates necessary to avoid a brokered convention.
In a sign of what’s at stake in Indiana, the lead up to Tuesday’s primary saw Trump levy bizarre allegations about rival Cruz, claiming that the Texas senator’s father was with Lee Harvey Oswald moments before the assassin shot President John F. Kennedy.
The accusation was vehemently denied by Cruz, who facetiously suggested that he might also be Elvis Presley, and that Jimmy Hoffa was "buried in his backyard," before calling the billionaire a "pathological liar."
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 3, 2016
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 3, 2016
Multiple news sources have pointed out that Trump’s accusation is in no way grounded in fact.
The next Republican primary will be held in Nebraska next Tuesday. If Trump manages to win in California, Washington, and New Jersey, upcoming states with high delegate counts, he all but cinches the nomination. The latest polls show the billionaire leading in California, the biggest upcoming state, by 34 points.
Trump is now considered the de facto nominee following Ted Cruz's withdrawal from the race on Tuesday evening.
