Julian Castro, Now a VP Contender, Makes 2020 Pick

Just days after he dropped out of the 2020 race himself, Julian Castro is out with his endorsement: He wants Elizabeth Warren to be the next president. "There's one candidate I see who's unafraid to fight like hell to make sure America's promise will be there for everyone," Castro said in a video, which the Wall Street Journal notes was produced by Warren's campaign. The endorsement is significant, but not only because it's from a former presidential candidate, notes Axios. It matters because Castro seems to be on everybody's short list as a vice presidential pick.

The development comes as the candidates approach crunch time for the Feb. 3 Iowa caucuses, and at a time when Warren has generally slipped in both polling and fundraising. Meanwhile, a new CBS News/YouGov poll has Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, and Pete Buttigieg in a three-way tie for first in Iowa (23%), followed by Warren (16%) and Amy Klobuchar (7%). In New Hampshire, the same five were Sanders (27%), Biden (25%), Warren (18%), Buttigieg (13%), and Klobuchar (7%). All the other candidates were further back, below 3%. (More Elizabeth Warren 2020 stories.)