Donald Trump easily won the Indiana primary, putting the GOP nomination within his grasp

Clear sailing ahead—at least until the general election.
Clear sailing ahead—at least until the general election.
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Real estate mogul Donald Trump’s shocking march to the Republican presidential nomination is almost complete. He won today’s Indiana primary in a landslide, dealing a devastating blow to Ted Cruz and the party’s #NeverTrump movement.

Cruz campaigned tirelessly in Indiana, where he suffered from a series of minor gaffes—memorably referring to a “basketball ring” in the famously basketball-crazy state. But it’s not clear that mattered: Trump had a commanding lead in the polls throughout, and media outlets called his victory within minutes of polls closing.

Trump will win the lion’s share of Indiana’s 57 Republican delegates, giving him a total of more than 1,000; 1,237 are needed to clinch the nomination.

Despite Trump’s lopsided primary wins, he faces much longer odds in the general election. His Democratic opponent—most likely Hillary Clinton, who has a similarly huge delegate lead—is heavily favored to win the general election and become the next US president.