Julián Castro Drops Out of 2020 Presidential Race
Former Obama-era Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro is ending his run for president.
His announcement Thursday comes as Castro failed to garner enough support or donations to make the recent Democratic presidential debates.
“It’s with profound gratitude to all of our supporters that I suspend my campaign for president today,” Castro tweeted.
“I’m so proud of everything we’ve accomplished together. I’m going to keep fighting for an America where everyone counts — I hope you’ll join me in that fight.”
It’s with profound gratitude to all of our supporters that I suspend my campaign for president today.
I’m so proud of everything we’ve accomplished together. I’m going to keep fighting for an America where everyone counts—I hope you’ll join me in that fight. pic.twitter.com/jXQLJa3AdC
— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) January 2, 2020
In a video attached to his tweet, Castro noted that with just one more month to go before the Iowa caucuses, “I’ve determined that it simply isn’t our time.”
The former San Antonio mayor languished around 1 percent in polls and lagged behind his 2020 rivals in fundraising.
Castro was the only Latino candidate in the field and one of the biggest voices on immigration.
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren joined his call to decriminalize illegal border crossings if Democrats retake the White House next year.
But Castro was often eclipsed by another Texan in the race, former El Paso congressman Beto O’Rourke, and another young mayor, Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana.
Trying to show he could go to-to-toe with Trump, Castro swung for big moments on debate stages, and flirted with a much-needed breakout in June after confronting O’Rourke over not supporting decriminalization of illegal border crossings.
But turning his sights on Biden on a later stage brought swift backlash. During the September debate in Houston, Castro appeared to touch on concerns about the age of the then-76-year-old former vice president and added a parting shot at him.
“I’m fulfilling the legacy of Barack Obama, and you’re not,” Castro said.
Castro — who was Obama’s housing secretary in his second term — denied taking a personal dig at Biden as others in the field condemned the exchange.
Three days later, Castro lost one of his three backers in Congress, Rep. Vicente González of Texas, who switched his endorsement to Biden.
Castro had warned supporters in a fundraising appeal that failing to make the November debate stage would spell the end of his campaign.
He needed to hit at least 3 percent polling in four early state or national polls but didn’t get even one.
What is next for Castro is unclear.
Back home in Texas, Democrats had long viewed Castro as their biggest star in waiting, and some have urged him to run for governor as the state trends more diverse and liberal.
Castro was pegged as a rising Democratic star after being elected as mayor of the nation’s seventh-largest city at age 34, and he was on the short list for Hillary Clinton’s running mate in 2016.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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