Julián Castro, the only Latino in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary race and former Obama housing secretary, ended his campaign on Thursday. Castro said in a video announcing his exit, “I’m so proud of the campaign we’ve run together. We’ve shaped the conversation on so many important issues in this race, stood up for the most vulnerable people and given a voice to those who are often forgotten. 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 launched his campaign last January but failed to garner enough support in the polls or donations to qualify for recent Democratic debates. A former San Antonio mayor who later became President Barack Obama’s secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Castro had stalled for most of his campaign, hovering around 1% in polls, and never came close to raising money like his better-known challengers.
The 45-year-old Castro was also among the youngest in the running. In the video announcing his exit, Castro concludes with “¡Ganaremos un día!” — which translates to “We will win one day!”
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