Several former prominent supporters of in his home state are endorsing Joe Biden for president now that the Texan is no longer running 鈥� and a day after he threw his support to Biden rival Elizabeth Warren.
In an announcement first shared with The Texas Tribune, Biden鈥檚 campaign unveiled 11 new Texas endorsements, including nine from people who had been with Castro. They include five state representatives and members of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus: Reps. of Dallas, of Rio Grande City, of Brownsville, of Mission and of Weslaco.
Biden鈥檚 campaign hailed the endorsements as 鈥渞eflective of the momentum Joe Biden has going into Super Tuesday,鈥� or March 3, when Texas holds its delegate-rich primary.
鈥淢any of these community leaders previously endorsed Secretary Castro and are now supporting Joe Biden because they know that Biden has the experience, record, and heart to step into the Oval Office and immediately deliver for working families,鈥� Biden鈥檚 Texas state director, Jane Hamilton, said in a statement.
Biden's latest Texas endorsements also include Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff; , the Bexar County commissioner and former state representative from San Antonio; Leticia Van de Putte, the former state senator from San Antonio and 2014 nominee for lieutenant governor; Debra Guerrero, a trustee for the San Antonio Independent School District; and San Antonio lawyer Frank Herrera and his wife Cecilia Herrera, a former foreign diplomat.
The former vice president's campaign released the endorsements the day after , the U.S. senator from Massachusetts 鈥� a quick turnaround following his withdrawal from the race Thursday. The endorsements also come hours before Castro and Warren are set to hold a rally together in New York City.
While Warren鈥檚 campaign has been the most proactive in ahead of the primary, Biden has consistently and built a much longer endorsement list. Michael Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor, is also for what his campaign has promised will be an unmatched effort in the state.
Most of the endorsements Biden announced Tuesday represent Democrats who were among Castro鈥檚 earliest endorsers. Mart铆nez, Lucio, Anchia, Guillen, Rodriguez and Wolff were all part of the first wave of Texas endorsements that Castro released in March 2019.
Biden is returning to Texas next week for his fifth trip to the state as a White House hopeful. He so far has fundraisers scheduled for Jan. 16 in Dallas and Houston.
