Former Democratic presidential candidate Julian Castro was simultaneously the first 2020 contender to put his preferred gender pronouns in his Twitter biography and an alum of the Obama administration. Between his calls for de facto open borders and links to Hillary Clinton in 2016 as a possible vice presidential pick, Castro is the definition of a mainstream radical, webbing together woke calls that pander to identitarian leftists with a policy package that doesn’t stray too far from the party establishment’s ideology.
Now, after dropping out of the race last week, Castro has thrown his support behind Elizabeth Warren. “There’s one candidate I see who’s unafraid to fight like hell to make sure America’s promise will be there for everyone,” he said, according to the Washington Examiner. “Who will make sure that no matter where you live in America or where your family came from in the world, you have a path to opportunity too. That’s why I’m proud to endorse Elizabeth Warren for president.”
Former 2020 candidate @JulianCastro is lending his endorsement to @ewarren.
The endorsement from the only Hispanic candidate in 2020 could be a major boost for her.https://t.co/JuwjeLappQ
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) January 6, 2020
Today I’m proud to endorse @ewarren for president.
Elizabeth and I share a vision of America where everyone counts. An America where people—not the wealthy or well-connected—are put first. I’m proud to join her in the fight for big, structural change. pic.twitter.com/xDvMEKqpF3
— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) January 6, 2020
The fact that Castro so quickly threw his weight behind the Massachusetts senator shows how she is taking radicalism mainstream.
Aside from key tonal differences, such as calling herself a “capitalist,” there’s really not too much to separate Warren’s policy vision from that of her longtime ally, socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders. Both support a government takeover of the healthcare industry, government-funded higher education, and wide-ranging increases in taxation, regulation, and government intervention. Yet the reason that Warren remains much more likely to actually win the Democratic nomination is that she appeals to the mainstream just enough to get some establishment support, uniting the relatively more moderate establishment with the party’s leftist base.
Warren’s ability to bring Castro on board and win his endorsement over rivals such as Sanders and Joe Biden, who likely sought it as well, speaks to how she’s bridged the divide between the left-wing base and party mainstream.
An endorsement from a left-wing Democrat and minority gives Warren a boost with the identity politics types that form the party’s base. Meanwhile, an endorsement from an Obama administration alum such as Castro with mainstream Democratic credentials puts daylight between her and Sanders, whose endorsements have largely come from the party’s leftward fringe.
Of course, there’s an element of risk that comes with this endorsement. Castro is cringeworthy in a way that could rub many moderate, swing-state voters the wrong way. Although his endorsement is sure to give Warren something of a boost in the Democratic primary, it could come back to hurt her in the general election if she ends up the party’s nominee.
