Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro announced on Thursday that he would suspend his campaign. With his departure, the Democratic presidential field narrows to fourteen candidates.
Castro, 45, the former Secretary of Health and Human Services under the Obama administration and mayor of San Antonio, Texas, failed to break into the upper tier of candidates.
“I’ve determined that it simply isn’t our time,” Castro said in a video published on Twitter on Thursday morning.
“I’m not done fighting. “’ll keep working towards a nation where everyone counts, a nation where everyone can get a good job, good health care and a decent place to live,” he said.
Castro did not give any indication of his immediate plans.
He only qualified for the first four Democratic primary debates. He rarely polled above two percent in any national or state poll.
Castro championed numerous leftist policy proposals including decriminalizing illegal border crossings. In a gaffe underreported in the media, he championed abortion rights for transgender females. Failing to gain traction said that Iowa and New Hampshire shouldn’t go first in the Democratic primary calendar arguing the first caucus state and first primary state do not reflect the nation’s growing diversity.
Iowa, however, launched former President Barack Obama’s road to the Democratic nomination and White House in 2008 giving him a resounding win in the Democratic caucuses.
It’s likely that Castro will be on a vice presidential short list for his potential to help the Democratic nominee court Latino voters.