Indiana primary as it happened: Trump claims victory, Cruz drops out and Sanders pulls surprise win

That's a wrap for tonight's live coverage of the Indiana primary.

The night proved to be particularly eventful for the Republican Party after Ted Cruz surprised everyone by suspending his campaign. The move essentially made Donald Trump the presumptive GOP nominee as his remaining rival John Kasich is unlikely to nab the nomination. On the Democratic side, Bernie Sanders pulled a surprise victory over Hillary Clinton. However, the candidates were so close, they are likely to win nearly the same amount of delegates.

Be sure to check back with IBTimes UK for full results analysis and continued election coverage.

I want to congratulate Ted Cruz. He is a tough, smart competitor.

- Donald Trump during his victory speech

The Democratic race is called for Bernie Sanders, with over 70% reporting. Hillary Clinton held on to an early lead before all polling stations were closed, but once 7pm EDT hit, Sanders managed to turn things around.

It seems everyone is ready to fall into line behind Trump. Republican Party chairman Reince Priebus is calling on all Republicans to support the "presumptive GOP nominee".

After thanking his family and Fiorina for being "an incredible, phenomenal running mate," Cruz finally announces he is dropping out of the race. "Tonight, I'm sorry to say, it appears that path has been foreclosed. We gave it everything we've got, but the voters chose another path...With a heavy heart, but with boundless optimism for the long-term future of our nation, we are suspending our campaign."

Breaking: Ted Cruz is suspending his campaign, his campaign manager tells reporters.

Just before Cruz took the stage, reports emerged that his whole staff and family is on the road with him. While introducing him, Cruz's vice presidential pick Carly Fiorina said she speaks for the whole team when she says "how many Hoosiers we have fallen in love with on this campaign."

And with Cruz on stage, it appears he's finally calling it quits.

The ever colourful New York Post has released a preview of tomorrow's (4 May) front page:

Sanders continues to widen his lead to over 3% with 33.2% reporting. However, if the margin between the two candidates continues to run this close, the two could receive nearly the same amount of delegates. Indiana has 83 delegates available to Democrats and those delegates are awarded on a proportional system.

Sanders is speaking to supporters as he takes the lead with over 17% reporting.

He may be in dead last among the Republican candidates, but Ohio Governor Kasich is determined to see his campaign reach the GOP convention in July. Kasich's campaign has released a statement vowing to remain in the race.

"Tonight's results are not going to alter Gov. Kasich's campaign plans,"the statement says. It continues: "Our strategy has been and continues to be one that involves winning the nomination at an open convention. The comments from Trump, on the verge of winning in Indiana, heighten the differences between Governor Kasich and his positive, inclusive approach and the disrespectful ramblings from Donald Trump."

h/t The Guardian

With more than 10% reporting, Trump officially has taken home at least 45 of the 57 delegates available in Indiana, putting him over the 1,000 delegate threshold. According to FiveThirtyEight's Nate Silver, tonight's win makes it unlikely the Republican Party will see a contested convention in July.

He may have won Indiana, but that isn't going to stop Trump from hitting out against Cruz.

Polls have officially closed in Indiana. The Associated Press has called the Republican race for Donald Trump, with just 5% reporting.

In about 15 minutes, the final polling stations in the Hoosier State will close. With just over 2% reporting in both races, Clinton and Trump continue to maintain their lead. It may be possible that the primaries will be called for both party shortly after poll stations close at 7pm EDT/12am BST.

It looks like Trump will be able to claim victory twice this evening. A rape claim against the real estate magnate—worth $100m—was dismissed late April because the claimant reportedly filed the wrong paperwork. The woman, who is identified as "Katie Johnson," claims she and another minor were forced to perform sexual acts on Trump when she was just 13 years old. Trump has vehemently denied the allegations.

Some results have already been released and they reveal Clinton and Trump are firmly ahead.

Looking ahead to West Virginia: The next primary in the Mountain State shows a shift in support among Democrats. A recent poll by Public Policy Polling shows Sanders ahead of Clinton, 45% to 37%, with another 18% undecided. Meanwhile on the GOP side, Trump holds a commanding lead with 61% against Cruz's 22% and Kasich's 14%.

The poll also found that Cruz and Kasich have negative favourability ratings, while Trump has a 67/24 favourability rating. Both Sanders and Clinton hold high negative favourability ratings among undecided voters.

h/t Public Policy Polling

A majority of the state's polling stations are set to close in just a couple of minutes. At 6pm EDT/11pm BST, polling stations in 80 of 92 counties will close. However, results will not begin coming in until after 7pm EDT/12am BST, when the remaining polling locations close.

Preliminary exit poll results have begun pouring in. Results on the Democratic side show a higher than normal voter turnout, particularly among liberals, young voters, whites and voters looking to support candidates who's honest or cares about people like them.

• Six in 10 Indiana voter said Sanders is the more inspiring candidate, compared to four in 10 choosing Clinton.
• Six in 10 said the country is ready for a female president.
• About 25% of voters claim Clinton has attacked Sanders, while 20% say the opposite is true.
• Eight in 10 voters said Clinton's ideas are more realistic vs more than six in 10 for Sanders.
• Slightly more than 50% of voters see Clinton as honest and trustworthy, compared to 80% for Sanders.

h/t ABC News

As we inch closer to the results of tonight's primary, lets take a quick look at the remaining races this primary season:

• 10 May: Nebraska (Republicans) and West Virginia (Both)
• 17 May: Kentucky (Democrats) and Oregon (Both)
• 24 May: Washington (Republicans)
• 7 June: North Dakota (Democrats) and California, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota (Both)
• 14 June: Washington DC (Democrats)

Further clarification on the latest Trump-Cruz fight:

h/t CNN

An April 2016 poll by Gallup/Latino Decisions reveals Trump has been very successful at uniting Latino voters...against him. According to the poll, just nine out of 100 Latinos have a favourable opinion of the bombastic billionaire real estate mogul. His support in a general election against Democrats Clinton and Sanders skyrockets to a whopping 11%, the poll revealed.

The results may spell bad news for The Donald, even if he says he's got the Latino vote. As past presidential elections show, candidates cannot win a general election without the support of Latino voters.

h/t Daily Kos

The race in Indiana has been intense from the get-go, particularly between GOP candidates Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. Earlier today, Trump repeated unsubstantiated claims—reported by the National Enquirer—that Cruz's father, Rafael Cruz, had links to John F Kennedy's killer, Lee Harvey Oswald.

Cruz immediately refuted the claims and hit back at the Republican frontrunner during a campaign stop in Evansville, Indiana. "This man is utterly immoral," Cruz told the media. "Morality doesn't exist for him." He went on to refer to Trump as a "serial philanderer" and a "narcissist at a level I don't think this country has ever seen."

h/t The Indy Star

Welcome to our live coverage of today's Indiana primary! Polls show party frontrunners Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in the lead in the Hoosier State. However, Clinton's lead against rival Bernie Sanders has been slipping in recent polls, so the Democratic race could be won by either candidate.

Polls are set to close in parts of the state at 6pm EDT/11pm BST.