Nearly one year ago, Julián Castro stood before a crowd of supporters on San Antonio’s West Side—just blocks from where he grew up—and announced his presidential bid. It wasn’t a surprising move. Ever since the 2012 Democratic National Convention, where Castro became the first Hispanic to deliver the keynote address, he has been viewed as a potential torchbearer for the nation’s emerging new majority.
Castro’s campaign looked promising on paper: he announced earlier than most, had notability among the base, was the sole Latino candidate, and carved out progressive stances that could energize voting blocs. And yet, on the second day of 2020—just one month away from the Iowa caucus—Castro announced that he was ending his campaign.
“I’ve determined that it simply isn’t our time,” Castro said in a video announcement.
