Let’s hope the American electorate are happy with the cards they’ve been dealt

Less than one week after confidently naming Carly Fiorina as his VP running mate, Ted Cruz has dropped out of the GOP primary.

It was a disheartening loss in winner-takes-all Indiana Tuesday night. In the end, Trump won 51 delegates while Senators Ted Cruz and John Kasich walked away with nothing but decisions to make. Ted Cruz suspended his presidential bid within hours of the final count.

Senator Cruz poses with supporters, pre-bid drop

“We left it all on the field in Indiana. We gave it everything we’ve got but the voters chose another path,” said Cruz. “So with a heavy heart but with boundless optimism for the long-term future of our nation, we are suspending our campaign.”

Cruz, a conservative running on an Evangelical platform, had a lot resting on Indiana. Having no shot at reaching 1,237 delegates, a Cruz or Kasich win in Indiana was necessary to reach a contested convention. When Mr. Trump pulled out 53.3% of the votes in Indiana, it was game over. Trump’s path to 1,237 was too clear.

Senator Kasich followed suit in suspending his bid Wednesday morning.

What does this mean for the GOP primary? For starters, GOP voters in the remaining primary states will have little meaning behind their votes. By suspending their bids, Cruz and Kasich inadvertently revoked the people’s voice; voters can pick Trump, or they can throw away their ticket.

This issue of inadequate delegates was better handled by Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders. Regardless of having no clear path to victory, Sanders’ campaign has indicated their intention to remain in the race through the California finale. Sen. Sanders credits his resolve to the fact that his is not a political campaign, but a “political revolution”. By staying in the race, Sen. Sanders not only upholds the voice of the people (who happened to afford him a majority in last night’s Indiana primary), but also pushes opponent Hillary Clinton to compete. Basic political science tells us that a single-candidate race will not be one for the people; it will lack the motivation necessary to separate winners from the losers as in a multi-candidate race.

Senators Cruz and Kasich could take a page from this book. By irresponsibly silencing GOP voters in states like California, New Jersey and Oregon, Cruz and Kasich have left Republican voters with one choice – Trump.

Let’s just hope the American electorate are happy with the cards they’ve been dealt.