Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro and former Obama administration Housing and Urban Development secretary announced has ended his bid for presidency. He announced the decision in a video.
"It’s with profound gratitude to all of our supporters that I suspend my campaign for president today," he wrote on Twitter. "I’m so proud of everything we’ve accomplished together. I’m going to keep fighting for an America where everyone counts—I hope you’ll join me in that fight."
“I’m so proud of the campaign we’ve run together," he said in the video. "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’ve determined that it simply isn’t our time,” he said.
Castro's poll numbers rarely rose above 2% support during the duration of his campaign, and failed to make the November and December debate stages. The former mayor of San Antonio, campaigned on reforming immigration policy and the criminal justice system.
Throughout his campaign, Castro, who was the only Latino candidate in the race, presented himself as the candidate that best represented the Hispanic community. His twin brother Joaquin is also in politics and is a Texas congressman.
In October, Castro said he would potentially drop out of the race if he didn't raise $800,000 by Oct. 31 in order to stay in the race. The campaign eventually made the goal.
The campaign later announced they had their biggest fundraising day in the month of November. They also announced in the next month that they had raised enough money to qualify for the December debates. However, Castro didn't get the polls needed to qualify.
