Nov 14, 2019

Julián Castro fails to qualify for November Democratic debate

Ursula Perano

Julián Castro. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Julián Castro has failed to qualify for the November debate stage, just weeks after threatening to drop out over waning fundraising.

Driving the news: In late October, the former HUD secretary told supporters in an email that if he did not qualify for the fifth Democratic primary debate, he would not be able to continue his candidacy into the Iowa caucuses.

"The truth is, for our campaign, these debates have offered our only guaranteed opportunity to share my vision with the American people. If I can’t make the next debate stage, we cannot sustain a campaign that can make it to Iowa in February.”

What to watch: The next debate will take place on Nov. 20, hosted by MSNBC and the Washington Post.

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Marisa Fernandez, Orion Rummler

Who has qualified for the December Democratic debate

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders at the November debate in Atlanta. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Seven candidates qualified for the sixth Democratic 2020 presidential debate, scheduled for Dec. 19 at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California.

Driving the news: All qualifying candidates have said on Twitter they won't attend the debate unless the host, Loyola Marymount University, reaches a deal with its workers in an ongoing labor dispute.

Go deeperArrowUpdated Dec 13, 2019
Rebecca Falconer

Democrats call out lack of diversity in 2020 race after Harris' exit

Sens. Cory Booker and Kamala Harrisat the 50th NAACP Image Awards in Hollywood in March. Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Leading Democrats including presidential candidates Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and former HUD Secretary Julián Castro spoke out against an increasing lack of diversity in the 2020 race following the exit of Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) Tuesday.

Go deeperArrowDec 4, 2019
Zachary Basu

5 takeaways from the fifth Democratic debate

Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

The fifth Democratic debate on Wednesday ended with more shared laughs than attack lines, striking a stark contrast to the partisan impeachment hearings that have dominated news coverage over the past two weeks.

The big picture: The Pete Buttigieg pile-on landed more softly than many had projected. Instead, the top four candidates in early state polling — Buttigieg, Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders — pulled many of their punches, giving some of the lower-tier candidates a chance to make waves in a debate that will otherwise do little to shake up the race.

Go deeperArrowUpdated Nov 21, 2019