Supporters of Massachusetts Senator and Democratic Presidential Candidate Elizabeth Warren packed into a downtown Fresno business Monday to hear from someone who used to be her competitor.
Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro addressed around 50 people at the Fulton Street Coffee shop. The 45-year-old was also a presidential candidate, but ended his bid in January. He said running alongside Elizabeth Warren proved to him that she deserves the democratic nomination.
“Did y’all see how she took on Mayor Bloomberg?” Castro asked, referencing her performance in last week’s debate. “Elizabeth Warren has spent a career holding unaccountable people accountable. Imagine her doing that to Donald Trump in October.” At that comment, the small crowd went wild.
Warren came in fourth in the recent Nevada primary, but Castro urged voters to remember that 97 percent of delegates still haven’t been allocated. Delegates determine the party’s presidential nominee.
At the coffee shop, many sported Warren stickers, but some were just as excited to see Julián Castro. Maria Del Socorro Velez is a recent University of California, Santa Barbara graduate and daughter of Mexican immigrants.
“I was really proud of him because I knew that in him running, he was putting his name out there, creating his influence,” Del Socorro Velez said. “He’s going to become more legitimate, and I know this isn’t the end for him.”
Some even suggested Castro would make a good vice presidential candidate.
The visit comes in the week following both President Donald Trump's and Bernie Sanders’ appearances in Bakersfield.
Next Tuesday, California voters will head to the polls to cast their ballot for each party’s presidential nominee.
