'The Only Hispanic' Castro Withdraws from US Democratic Presidential Primary

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Kim Bong-su] Julian Castro, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and a candidate in the U.S. Democratic presidential primary, announced his withdrawal from the race on the 2nd (local time).

According to the U.S. political media outlet Politico, Castro made the announcement via Twitter and expressed his gratitude to his campaign staff. He added, "I will continue to fight for the America that everyone hopes for."

With Castro's withdrawal, the diversity of the Democratic presidential candidate pool has further diminished. Among the roughly ten candidates, Castro was the only Hispanic. Of the seven candidates who qualified to participate in the December 19th TV debate last year, all except Taiwanese-American businessman Andrew Yang were white. Castro had been recognized as a "rising star" within the Democratic Party, showing charisma and a distinct personal style. After declaring his presidential bid, he advocated for immigrant rights in terms of policy and positioned himself as a strong critic of President Donald Trump, acting as a kind of attack dog.

However, it is analyzed that he failed to distinguish himself among progressive frontrunners such as Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, ultimately leading to his decision to drop out of the race.

Meanwhile, the Democratic presidential primary is shaping up with former Vice President Joe Biden, Senators Sanders and Warren, and Indiana South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg leading the pack, just one month before the first caucus in Iowa on March 3rd. Billionaire and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has also entered the race, leveraging his vast campaign funds. Currently, excluding Castro, 14 candidates remain in the primary.

However, the field is consolidating rapidly, with Senator Kamala Harris, the only Black candidate, having withdrawn on February 3rd, and former Congressman Beto O'Rourke, who was noted as a "generation change candidate," having announced his withdrawal in early November last year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.