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John Kasich drops out of the presidential race

The Ohio governor thanked supporters in Columbus as he made his exit on Wednesday.

Justin Carissimo
Monday 09 May 2016 18:33 BST
Kasich out.
Kasich out. (Stephen Lam/Getty)

John Kasich has called it quits.

After trailing by nearly 900 delegates in the Republican race, and only winning his home state, the Ohio governor has suspended his presidential campaign.

Kasich addressed the media on Wednesday night.

“I have always said that the Lord has a purpose for me as he has for everyone,” Kasich told reporters in Columbus, Ohio. “And as I suspend my campaign today, I have renewed faith, deeper faith, that the Lord will show me the way forward, and fulfill the purpose of my life.”

Donald Trump has all but sealed the Republican nomination after a decisive win at the Indiana primary that first pushed Ted Cruz out of the race on Tuesday.

After Cruz made his own exit, seeing no path to victory, Kasich said the Texas Senator should be "proud of his disciplined campaign."

Earlier in the day, Kasich tweeted a message for Star Wars Day, saying that he is America's "only hope" against Trump and Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton.

Reince Priebus, the Republican National Committee chairman, declared Trump the "presumptive nominee" on Twitter, adding that Republicans "must unite and focus on defeating Hillary Clinton."

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