Ted Cruz says Americans have “a clear choice going forward”

Ted Cruz declared a victory (of sorts) Tuesday, despite coming up short in four of the five Republican primaries.

“Tonight was a good night,” he said. “Tonight we continued to gain delegates and continued our march to 1,237. And, after tonight, America now has a clear choice going forward.”

Cruz was neck-in-neck with Donald Trump in Missouri, with unofficial election results from Missouri showing the two virtually tied as of 11 p.m. EDT.

In North Carolina, Cruz came in second with nearly 37 percent of the vote. Trump came in first with nearly 41 percent. Cruz also came in second in Illinois with 30 percent, trailing Trump, who was projected to win the state’s 24 delegates with 39 percent of the vote. He came in third in Florida and Ohio.

Cruz told supporters he’s the only candidate to defeat Trump time and time again. The Texas Republican has won nine Republican primaries.

Cruz told supporters he plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act, often called Obamacare; “pass a simple flat tax and abolish the IRS”; and “rein in the EPA and government regulators that are killing small businesses.”

“Going forward, the choice is straightforward,” Cruz said. “Starting tomorrow morning, there is a clear and direct choice. For everyone who wants to see a brighter tomorrow, we welcome you.”