WASHINGTON: Julian Castro (pictured), the grandson of a Mexican immigrant who became San Antonio mayor and a US housing secretary, suspended his 2020 Democratic presidential run on Thursday after a candidacy overshadowed by more famous liberals.
His departure from the campaign, a month or so ahead of early nominating contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, leaves 14 Democratic candidates in a still crowded field seeking the party’s nomination to take on Republican President Donald Trump in November.
The charisma and assertiveness that helped make Castro, 45, a rising star in the Democratic Party did not translate into enough support to compete against better-known candidates, including progressive US Senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.
He had struggled to raise money for what was seen as a long shot bid, and another Texan who was seeking the party’s nomination before dropping out in November, former US Representative Beto O’Rourke, siphoned some attention from Castro in the early days of his campaign.
“It’s with profound gratitude to all of our supporters that I suspend my campaign for president today,” Castro wrote in a Twitter post.
“But with only a month until the Iowa caucuses, and given the circumstances of this campaign season, I have determined that it simply isn’t our time,” Castro said in a video released by his campaign.
— Reuters
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