Indianapolis (CNN) We're in the general election now.

All that delegate math, the fretting over whether Trump could reach 1,237 delegates? Stick a fork in it: Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus declared Trump the "presumptive GOP nominee."

Here are five takeaways from Indiana's history-making night:

Trump's the nominee

Just eight months ago, Republicans were so worried that Trump would lose the GOP primary and launch an independent bid that party leaders pressured its slate of presidential candidates to sign a pledge to support the ultimate nominee.

Turns out, there was no need to worry about that.

After crushing Cruz by 16 percentage points in Indiana's primary, Trump is now on course to easily claim the Republican presidential nomination.

The win was his most impressive yet. In a conservative, evangelical state, Trump ran a pitch-perfect campaign. He was bolstered by four legendary college coaches and a blue-collar message that was particularly effective because he began railing on the state's Public Enemy No. 1, Carrier, the air conditioning manufacturer that's shipping 2,100 jobs to Mexico, months before he ever needed a single Hoosier vote.

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Cruz played the only hand he had, staking his fate on Indiana. But Republican voters have chosen Trump as their nominee , and Cruz's departure Tuesday night means it happened even faster than Trump expected.

"I didn't expect it, and what Ted did is really a brave thing to do," Trump admitted during his victory speech in New York's Trump Tower.

Trump enters general election mode

He started Tuesday night by attacking Clinton for her comments during a CNN town hall in March that she'd put coal companies "out of business." She backtracked from those remarks Monday, but Trump saw an opening he could exploit with West Virginia's contest coming up.

"I watched her talking about the miners as if they were just numbers," Trump said.

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He also attacked Clinton more broadly, saying that "she will be a poor president. She doesn't understand trade."

Expect Trump to hammer Clinton every day until November for her husband's decision to sign the North American Free Trade Agreement into law -- as if Republicans haven't been the party that staunchly supports free trade deals like NAFTA.

Meanwhile, every GOP lawmaker and down-ballot candidate has a choice to make: Are you a Trump Republican or not? Already, Democrats have launched attack ads in Arizona and Arkansas tying their Republican foes to Trump. That'll quickly extend to every competitive race on the map.

There's one Republican not ready to board the Trump Train: Ohio Gov. John Kasich , who objected to Priebus declaring Trump the presumptive GOP nominee.

Cruz hit the wall -- hard

Photos: Moments from Ted Cruz's career Photos: Moments from Ted Cruz's career U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican presidential candidate, speaks during a campaign rally at the Indiana State Fairgrounds on Monday, May 2. Hide Caption 1 of 24 Photos: Moments from Ted Cruz's career Cruz holds up the hand of Carly Fiorina at a campaign rally in Indianapolis on Wednesday, April 27. Cruz named Fiorina, a former presidential candidate, as his running mate. Hide Caption 2 of 24 Photos: Moments from Ted Cruz's career Cruz celebrates his Wisconsin primary win with his wife, Heidi, and Gov. Scott Walker in Milwaukee on Tuesday, April 5. Walker endorsed Cruz for the presidency. Hide Caption 3 of 24 Photos: Moments from Ted Cruz's career With his wife by his side, Cruz tours the Dane Manufacturing facility before speaking to workers in Dane, Wisconsin, on Thursday, March 24. Hide Caption 4 of 24 Photos: Moments from Ted Cruz's career Cruz speaks during the CNN Republican debate in Miami on Thursday, March 10. Hide Caption 5 of 24 Photos: Moments from Ted Cruz's career Cruz and his wife wave to the crowd at Liberty University after he announced his presidential candidacy in Lynchburg, Virginia, on March 23, 2015. Hide Caption 6 of 24 Photos: Moments from Ted Cruz's career Cruz speaks during the 2013 NRA Annual Meeting and Exhibits at the George R. Brown Convention Center on May 3, 2013, in Houston, Texas. Hide Caption 7 of 24 Photos: Moments from Ted Cruz's career Cruz poses with his wife, Heidi, and his daughters Caroline and Catherine. Hide Caption 8 of 24 Photos: Moments from Ted Cruz's career Cruz (left) fields questions from Bruce Rastetter at the Iowa Ag Summit on March 7, 2015, in Des Moines, Iowa. The event allows the invited speakers, many of whom are potential 2016 Republican presidential hopefuls, to outline their views on agricultural issue. Hide Caption 9 of 24 Photos: Moments from Ted Cruz's career Nobel Peace Laureate Elie Wiesel (left) listens as Cruz (right) speaks during a roundtable discussion on Capitol Hill March 2, 2015 in Washington, D.C. Wiesel, Cruz and Rabbi Scmuley Boteach (center) participated in a discussion entitled 'The Meaning of Never Again: Guarding Against a Nuclear Iran.' Hide Caption 10 of 24 Photos: Moments from Ted Cruz's career Governor Greg Abbott (center) speaks alongside Cruz (left), Attorney General Ken Paxton (right) at a joint press conference February 18, 2015, in Austin, Texas. Hide Caption 11 of 24 Photos: Moments from Ted Cruz's career Sen. Patrick Leahy (right) escorts Loretta Lynch back from a lunch break as Cruz (left) sits nearby during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee January 28, 2015, on Capitol Hill. Hide Caption 12 of 24 Photos: Moments from Ted Cruz's career Cruz greets supporters at the South Carolina Tea Party Coalition convention on January 18, 2015, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. A variety of conservative presidential hopefuls spoke at the gathering on the second day of a three-day event. Hide Caption 13 of 24 Photos: Moments from Ted Cruz's career Cruz (left) and then-Texas Governor Rick Perry stand together during a press conference at the front gate of Fort Hood about Iraq war veteran, Ivan Lopez, who killed three and wounded 16 before taking his own life on April 4, 2014, in Fort Hood, Texas. Hide Caption 14 of 24 Photos: Moments from Ted Cruz's career (Left to right) Sen. Lindsey Graham, Sen. John McCain and Cruz listen as President Barack Obama delivers the State of the Union address on January 28, 2014, in Washington, D.C. Hide Caption 15 of 24 Photos: Moments from Ted Cruz's career Then-Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (second right), poses with Republican senators-elect Jeff Flake (left), Deb Fischer (second left), and Cruz (right) at the U.S. Capitol on November 13, 2012, in Washington, D.C. Hide Caption 16 of 24 Photos: Moments from Ted Cruz's career Cruz speaks to reporters on September 25, 2013, after ending his talk-a-thon on the floor of the US Senate in Washington, D.C. Hide Caption 17 of 24 Photos: Moments from Ted Cruz's career Cruz speaks as then-Rep. Michele Bachmann (left), Sen. Mike Lee (second right) and Sen. Rand Paul (right) listen during a news conference May 16, 2013, on Capitol Hill. Hide Caption 18 of 24 Photos: Moments from Ted Cruz's career Cruz listens to testimony during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on April 22, 2013, in Washington, D.C. Hide Caption 19 of 24 Photos: Moments from Ted Cruz's career Cruz holds a news conference to announce the plan to defund Obamacare on March 13, 2013. Hide Caption 20 of 24 Photos: Moments from Ted Cruz's career Cruz speaks at the CPAC on March 6, 2014, in National Harbor, Maryland. Hide Caption 21 of 24 Photos: Moments from Ted Cruz's career Then-Senate Republican Candidate and Texas Solicitor General Cruz speaks at the 'Patriots for Romney-Ryan Reception' on August 29, 2012, in Tampa, Florida. Hide Caption 22 of 24 Photos: Moments from Ted Cruz's career Then-Senate Republican Candidate and Texas Solicitor General Cruz speaks during the Republican National Convention at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on August 28, 2012. Hide Caption 23 of 24 Photos: Moments from Ted Cruz's career Then-Senate Republican Candidate and Texas Solicitor General Cruz speaks during the Republican National Convention in 2012. Hide Caption 24 of 24

And finally, on Tuesday, when it was too late, Cruz got mad, denouncing Trump as a "pathological liar," "narcissist" and "serial philanderer."

In the state Cruz hyped as "more favorable terrain" a week ago -- the state he told voters he had to have -- he was thoroughly crushed.

Trump's big win forced Cruz to admit that his own path to the nomination "has been foreclosed."

Rather than dragging things out, Cruz ended it, telling supporters in Indianapolis that "we left it all on the field in Indiana. We gave it everything we got, but the voters chose another path."

Does #NeverTrump really mean never Trump?

If Indiana didn't break the back of the Republican resistance to Trump, it certainly left many of his opponents giving up -- or at least easing up.

Mark Meckler, a tea party leader, said that "no matter your personal preference, Trump's win in Indiana indicates a likely GOP nomination."

"The tea party has been split evenly between Cruz and Trump up to this point, but if Trump wins the nomination, I expect most Cruz voters will support Trump," Meckler said. "Most grass-roots folks I talk to have no appetite for an ugly convention fight."

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Katie Packer, the chair of the anti-Trump Our Principles PAC, said her group "will continue to educate voters about Trump until he, or another candidate, wins the support of a majority of delegates to the convention."

Notably missing from her super PAC's efforts: Ad buys in upcoming states.

Don't count out every member of the #NeverTrump crowd. Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, a fierce Trump critic, tweeted on Tuesday night: "Reporters keep asking if Indiana changes anything for me. The answer is simple: No."

Reporters keep asking if Indiana changes anything for me.

The answer is simple: No.



This from Febr. still holds:https://t.co/yUNSZTHW7E — Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) May 4, 2016

And Mark Salter, the long-time John McCain friend and aide, said he'd back Clinton over Trump in November.

Clinton still can't put Sanders away

If Bernie Sanders' goal is to carry as much influence as possible into the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia -- and give his supporters a reason to fight on through California on June 7 -- his win was helpful.

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But in terms of the delegate math, it was all but irrelevant.

But a narrow win is exactly what the Vermont senator got on Tuesday -- giving him a morale boost after losing five of six East Coast primaries.

Yet the result shows Clinton is still struggling to win white voters. And it could help Sanders regain the fundraising steam he had through February and March, after his online, small-dollar operation slowed in April.