Cruz pivots to Indiana as he loses all 5 Atlantic primaries

Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz on Tuesday night came out swinging at front-runner Donald Trump and the media just as polls were closing in a slate of contests along the East Coast, where Trump has already won three states.

{mosads}Minutes into his rally in Knightstown, Ind., one week before that state’s primary, the Texas senator accused the media of trying to crown Trump as the GOP nominee before he reaches 1,237 delegates.

“Tonight, Donald Trump is expected to have a good night. He’s likely to win some states, and the media is going to have heart palpitations this evening,” Cruz said. “And the media is going to say the race is over. The media is going to say Donald Trump is the Republican nominee.

“Every one of them are ready for Hillary,” he said about journalists before asserting that the real estate mogul is the one GOP candidate Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton could defeat in a general election and dubbing them both “New York liberals.”

Cruz linked Trump to Clinton and ticked through a list of policies on which he said his opponents share common ground.

“Donald and Hillary, they are flip sides of the same coin,” Cruz said. “Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are both big-government liberals. They both think the federal government will solve every problem.”

Cruz noted the races now turn to states that could benefit him.

“I got good news for you: Tonight, this campaign moves back to a more favorable terrain,” Cruz said. “Tonight, this campaign moves back to Indiana and Nebraska and North Dakota and Montana and Washington and California.

Cruz made an appeal to Indiana residents, promising he’d bring back manufacturing jobs and raise wages in the state.

“There’s nothing that Hoosiers cannot do,” Cruz said. “The eyes of the nation are gazing on this state.”

Cruz’s chances faded quickly Tuesday night, but he is looking for a big win in Indiana. Cruz, along with Ohio Gov. John Kasich, has been mathematically eliminated from winning the nomination on the first ballot at the Republican National Convention in July.

Cruz formed an alliance with Kasich this week in an attempt to keep Trump from winning a majority of delegates before the convention. Kasich agreed to cease campaigning in Indiana, while Cruz would refocus resources in Oregon and New Mexico, but so far their coordinated effort is off to a rocky start.

Toward the end of the rally, a protester interrupted Cruz, and the Texas senator repeated for people in the crowd to “treat him with respect.”

“Everyone keep your hands off of him,” Cruz said. “If this was a Donald Trump rally, I’d be encouraging people to hurt him.”