Joaquin Castro will not be running for the U.S. Senate in 2020.
This week, Castro announced his decision to pass on a bid to oust incumbent Republican Senator John Cornyn, avoiding a potentially crowded Democratic primary contest. Castro, a San Antonio Democrat, had been floating a bid in media circles for weeks, while his twin brother, Julian Castro, wages a bid for the White House. Castro’s departure from consideration came as a surprise to some pundits, while others noted that Castro also passed on a bid for the Senate seat held by Ted Cruz in 2018.
Castro’s exit from the discussion leaves MJ Hegar, an Air Force veteran and former congressional candidate, as the potential front runner for the seat. A number of other lesser known Democrats, including Michael Cooper and Adrian Ocegueda, and Sema Hernandez have also launched bids for the seat. Independent Dwayne Stovall has also launched a bid for the seat.
