Former Housing Secretary Julián Castro has ended his presidential campaign, acknowledging in a video released by his campaign that “it simply isn’t our time,” The New York Times reports.
“Today, it’s with a heavy heart, and profound gratitude, that I will suspend my campaign for president,” Castro said in the video message, which also recapped the candidate’s highlights on the trail. Castro always centered humane immigration policy and insisted on decriminalizing border crossings. He also frequently spoke out against police brutality, and often referenced the names of African-American victims when speaking out against other forms of gun violence.
Still, Castro stressed in his video, “I’m not done fighting. I’ll keep working toward a nation where everyone counts. A nation where everyone can get a good job, good health care and a decent place to live.”
Castro’s campaign never had the polling drive that some of his other counterparts—such as Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders and former Vice-President Joe Biden—had.
He was also notably absent for the last two primary debates after not meeting the qualifications, although he was still active on Twitter during those hours, sharing his policies and plans.
Castro was the only Latinx candidate running in 2020 and one of the few candidates of color who made it to the debates at all. He was vocally supportive of Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), who exited the race in early December. Castro lashed out at the media for holding Harris “to an unfair standard,” noting that the senator “was treated very poorly,” before calling out the media’s treatment of women and candidates of color in general.
On Thursday, following the announcement, several of his fellow candidates tweeted out their support.