Julián Castro Drop Out

Julián Castro had dropped out of the presidential race. Here's how Talking Points Memo is covering it:

Julian Castro, the sole Latino candidate in the 2020 Democratic primary, announced the end of his presidential run Thursday.

In a video message released by his campaign, Castro said that he “determined that it simply isn’t our time.”

“Today it’s with a heavy heart, and profound gratitude, that I will suspend my campaign for president,” Castro said in the video featuring scenes from his year on the campaign trail.

Castro added that he’s “not done fighting,” but did not specify his immediate plans.

“I’ll keep working towards a nation where everyone counts, a nation where everyone can get a good job, good health care and a decent place to live,” Castro said in the video.

Although he was seen as a potential vehicle for Democrats to attract Latino voters, Castro’s withdrawal ends a yearlong campaign where he failed to stick out from the crowded Democratic primary field. The New York Times noted that Castro rarely exceeded 2 percent support in national or early voting state polls. Despite appearing in the first four Democratic primary debates, he failed to poll high enough to appear in the following debates.

Some of Castro’s memorable moments during his presidential bid include taking a shot at former Vice President Joe Biden’s memory when the candidates debated health care policy proposals and his confrontation with former Rep. Beto O’Rourke where he argued for decriminalizing border crossings during the first Democratic presidential debate. (This is the article in its entirety.)

I've updated the lists below.

I'm Running Declared Democratic candidates, in order of their announcement:

1. John Delaney (7/28/17) 
2. Andrew Yang (11/6/17) 
3. Elizabeth Warren (12/31/18)
4. Tulsi Gabbard (1/11/19)
5. Pete Buttigieg (1/23/19)
6. Marianne Williamson (1/30/19)
7. Cory Booker (2/1/19)
8. Amy Klobuchar (2/10/19)
9. Bernie Sanders (2/19/19)
10. Joe Biden (4/25/19)
11. Michael Bennet (5/2/19)
12. Tom Steyer (7/9/19)
13. Deval Patrick (11/13/19)
14. Michael Bloomberg (11/24/19)

I'm Not Running Anymore Declared candidates who have dropped out:

1. Richard Ojeda (1/25/19)
2. Eric Swalwell (7/8/19)
3. John Hickenlooper (8/15/19)
4. Jay Inslee  (8/21/19)
5. Seth Moulton (8/23/19)
6. Kirsten Gillibrand (8/28/19)
7. Howard Schultz (9/6/19) * Ran as an Independent   
8. Bill de Blasio (9/20/19)
9. Tim Ryan (10/24/19)
10. Beto O'Rourke (11/1/19)
11. Wayne Messam (11/20/19)
12. Joe Sestak (12/1/19)
13. Steve Bullock (12/2/19)
14. Kamala Harris (12/3/19)
15. Julián Castro (1/2/20)

In other political news, ponder this: Would today's Democrats have impeached Abraham Lincoln in the 1860s? Probably not. Does incarcerated former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich believe they would have? Probably not. Then why did he write an editorial for Newsmax claiming they would? That's easy. Rod is sucking up hard to Donald hoping that the president will be moved to grant him a pardon. Newsmax founder Christopher Ruddy is doing his part to help:   

Dem Blago makes good points. BTW 15 years for a phone call/political favor is cruel. Urge @Real DonaldTrump commute him!https://t.co/3k80nbV4nw

— Christopher Ruddy (@ChrisRuddyNMX) January 1, 2020

Mrs. Blago chimes in too, claiming Rod is "a bit of a Lincoln Scholar," a statement that's less than completely credible:

https://t.co/Qf4BAhamCG

Rod is a bit of a Lincoln Scholar. He has at least 30 books on Lincoln alone in his study not counting the dozen more on other Civil War Era figures. @realDonaldTrump

— Patti Blagojevich (@pblagojevich) January 1, 2020

Will Donald pardon Rod? Nothing would surprise me at this point, but remember, he's been talked out of it twice before by Illinois Republicans:

Blagojevich carries little political weight in Illinois among either Democrats or Republicans. Illinois Republicans have been vocal in their opposition to Trump commuting Blagojevich’s prison sentence.

In August, the five GOP members of Illinois’ congressional delegation issued a joint statement saying a Trump commutation would set a “dangerous precedent and goes against the trust voters place in elected officials.” And, the previous year, Illinois’ GOP congressional delegation sent Trump a letter urging the president to keep Blagojevich’s sentence intact. (From the Chicago Tribune, read the entire article here.) 

Vanity Fair takes a snarkier tone: 

The former governor—who was arrested on corruption charges in 2008, impeached and removed from office in 2009, and convicted in 2010—has been serving a 14-year prison sentence in Englewood, Colorado, since 2012. The parallels between his case and Trump’s are uncanny: Two brash, bad-haired politicians caught in the act of abusing their power. The difference, of course, is that Blago was sent to jail, while Trump is almost certain to be protected by his Republican allies in the Senate. Blagojevich is clearly hoping that Trump will see enough of himself in Blagojevich’s plight to grant him a “fucking golden” commutation. Feeding into the president’s paranoid delusions can only help his case. (Read the entire article here.)

Will Donald pardon Rod? Maybe eventually but for right now my guess is no. 

Days until Election Day: 305

Days until the Iowa Caucuses: 32