We were sad to see Julián Castro leave the presidential primary race. As the endless campaign has dragged on, the most diverse field of candidates as dwindled down to one where, as our Vivian Kane noted, “there were more billionaires than people of color on the last debate stage” recently. But nevertheless, we’re excited to see Castro give his endorsement to his longtime friend and ally, Elizabeth Warren.
Today I’m proud to endorse @ewarren for president.
Elizabeth and I share a vision of America where everyone counts. An America where people—not the wealthy or well-connected—are put first. I’m proud to join her in the fight for big, structural change. pic.twitter.com/xDvMEKqpF3
— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) January 6, 2020
“There’s one candidate I see who’s unafraid to fight like hell to make sure America’s promise will be there for everyone,” Castro says in his endorsement video, after sharing the story of descending from immigrants to eventually serve in Obama’s cabinet.
In a sweet video (co-starring Bailey Warren, the best canine presidential campaign advisor) Castro and Warren discuss why he’s chosen to endorse her and her vision and concrete plans for change and not more of the same. It’s nice to hear candidates talking about hope, but also about the solid plans to back that up.
Casto’s support of Warren is unsurprising, given their history and friendship, but it could give Warren a needed boost going into the Iowa Caucuses on February 3. In fundraising, Warren lagged well behind Bernie Sanders, who took in a massive $34.5 million in fundraising, as well as both Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg. Warren has also seen a dip in polling in Iowa, but there’ still a month to go.
The next debate is January 14th, with only five candidates qualifying so far, due to increasingly stringent criteria from the DNC. Those candidates are: Biden, Sander, Warren, Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar, meaning no candidates of color are currently set to be on the stage, despite the fact that the campaigns of Cory Booker, Andrew Yang and Tulsi Gabbard are still active.
Castro is not the first 2020 Candidate to endorse a former rival, though he may be the most notable at this point. Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan (remember him? Neither do we) has endorsed Joe Biden. Kamala Harris and Kristin Gillibrand have yet to make endorsements, but their organization and support could benefit other candidates, as Castro’s might benefit Warren,
Anything can happen between now and February 3, and even after that. Whatever the outcome, let’s hope the winning candidate is ready to take on the madness of Trump in the general.
(image: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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