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Julian Castro
- Several prominent Democrats praised former HUD secretary Julián Castro on Thursday shortly after he announced the end of his 2020 presidential bid.
- Ocasio-Cortez, who has celebrated Castro's policy positions on issues including immigration, said she was "proud of" his campaign, which she called an "act of service" to the progressive cause.
- Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker, both 2020 candidates, thanked Castro for his contributions to the policy debate. Warren called Castro a "powerful voice" for "bold and progressive plans."
- Notably, Warren and Booker have the most to gain from Castro's primary exit. More than four out of five of Castro's supporters like Warren and nearly 70% of Castro's fans like Booker, according to Insider polling.
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Several prominent Democrats, including 2020 presidential candidates and freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, praised former HUD secretary Julián Castro on Thursday shortly after he announced the end of his 2020 presidential bid.
Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker, both primary competitors, thanked Castro for his contributions to the policy debate. Warren called Castro a "powerful voice" for "bold and progressive plans."
"You made this race stronger-and you will continue to be a leader in our party and our country for many years to come," she tweeted alongside of a photo of her and Castro.
Ocasio-Cortez, who has repeatedly praised Castro's policy positions on issues including immigration, wrote that his campaign was an "act of service" to the progressive cause.
"I'm really proud of @JulianCastro and his campaign," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. "He ran with true purpose and intentionality. His team uplifted important conversations and took on issues that most candidates shy away from. At their best, campaigns can be acts of service. Julián's campaign exemplified that."
Notably, Warren and Booker have the most to gain from Castro's primary exit.
According to recent Insider polling, more than four out of five of Castro's supporters like Warren, which is 21 percentage points higher than her overall performance among Democrats. And 69% of Castro supporters like Booker, which is a massive 34 percentage points higher than his overall performance. This means many of Castro's fans could shift their loyalty to Warren and Booker.
Castro will also likely be considered by a host of candidates as vice presidential running mate material.
Castro stood out among the large crop of 2020 candidates in being the first to propose decriminalizing illegal border crossings. He changed the shape of the race and the nature of the conversation surrounding immigration with this proposal.
"For a long time in this country we actually did not treat crossing the border as a criminal act," Castro told NPR in May. "We treated it as a civil violation. A lot of the problems that we see in the system today flared up after we started treating it as a criminal offense."
Castro, who was secretary of housing and urban development under former President Barack Obama after serving as mayor of San Antonio, was the only Latino candidate in the race.
Despite strong debate performances and his progressive platform, Castro struggled in the polls and lagged behind on fundraising. He failed to qualify for the two most recent presidential debates.
"Today it's with a heavy heart, and profound gratitude, that I will suspend my campaign for president," Castro said in a video announcing his withdrawal from the race.
John Haltiwanger and Walt Hickey contributed to this report.
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