Following poor results from the first-in-the-nation caucus , Huckabee was the first candidate to drop out . Santorum also ended his campaign after a poor performance in Iowa . Paul withdrew from the race after placing fifth in Iowa , and subsequently polling poorly leading into the New Hampshire primary . Christie , who put nearly all of his campaign 's resources into the critical state of New Hampshire , withdrew on February 10 , 2016 , after finishing sixth in the state . Following Christie 's announcement , Fiorina suspended her campaign , which was unable to gain traction . Gilmore , who severely lacked funding , campaign infrastructure , and support , surprised many political pundits by staying in the race as far as he did ; he dropped out shortly after the New Hampshire primary . Bush withdrew from actively campaigning after finishing fourth in the South Carolina primary . After Super Tuesday , Carson announced that there would be " no path forward " for his bid for the Presidency , effectively suspending his campaign . On March 15 , 2016 , Rubio dropped out after losing his home state , leaving three active candidates ( Cruz , Kasich , and Trump ) . Trump 's resounding victory in the Indiana primary on May 3 , 2016 , prompted Cruz 's exit from the race . The following day , Trump became the presumptive Republican nominee after Kasich dropped out . Trump was formally nominated by the delegates of the 2016 Republican National Convention on July 19 , 2016 , and proceeded to defeat Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in the general election on November 8 , 2016 , to become the 45th President of the United States
2016 Republican National Convention
2016 Republican National Convention
Results of the 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries