WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican John Kasich ended his longshot presidential bid on Wednesday, leaving Donald Trump's path clear to capture the Republican nomination for the Nov. 8 election.
Kasich, 63, the Ohio governor and a former U.S. congressman, had vowed just a day earlier to keep running after U.S. Senator Ted Cruz dropped out following a poor showing in Indiana's Republican primary on Tuesday. But Kasich bowed out in a speech in Columbus, Ohio.
Kasich was able to win only his own state in the race for the 2016 Republican nomination.
Trump's decisive victory in the Indiana primary forced Cruz to suspend his candidacy and prompted speculation that Kasich, running a distant third, would do the same.
(Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Emily Stephenson; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Frances Kerry)
(KELO Radio's Mark Russo contributed to this report)