A Texas congressman has withdrawn his endorsement of Julián Castro in favor of Joe Biden.
Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, 52, a Congressional Hispanic Caucus member who represents a slither of southern Texas near Castro’s hometown of San Antonio, chalked up his decision to Democrats needing “to consolidate behind a candidate who is sure to beat Donald Trump” rather than encouraging the historically large 2020 presidential primary field.
“During Thursday’s debate in Houston, Vice President Joe Biden demonstrated statesmanship and leadership. He demonstrated the values and characters I know and respect, that voters are looking for in their candidate for President and that they too know and respect,” Gonzalez said in a statement put out by the Biden camp on Sunday. “We don’t need Donald Trump for a second term, we need someone who can beat him and win. That’s why I proudly endorse Joe Biden for President.”
The release does not mention Castro’s aggressive swings at Biden during the third Democratic primary debate. The Obama housing secretary, 44, questioned the 76-year-old’s memory during the three-hour nationally televised event, drawing complaints from their rivals for the nomination, such as Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who called the jab “not cool.”
Speaking about the exchange on CNN, Gonzalez only said Castro’s “delivery could have been different.”
Gonzalez’s endorsement, the third from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus of which Julián Castro’s twin brother Joaquin Castro is chairman, coincides with Biden’s visit to Miami Sunday afternoon for a Hispanic meet-and-greet. He was in Birmingham, Alabama, Sunday morning for the 56th anniversary of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing.
While front-runner Biden dominates polls of black Democrats, he shares high Latino support with independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Twenty-two percent of Hispanic voters told researchers they would back Biden compared to 20% who said they would vote for Sanders, according to a Univision News survey published last week.
