Julián Castro to become senior advisor for Voto Latino

Former White House contender Julián Castro announced Friday he is joining Voto Latino as a senior advisor, one of the nation’s top Hispanic political organizations, in his first major role since he dropped out of the presidential race.

Castro is joining Voto Latino to help mobilize Hispanic voters. The group has endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for president, though Castro has not issued an endorsement of his own yet. 

“With the right engagement, Latinos can determine the outcome of November’s election. I’m proud to partner with @votolatino as they work to register and empower the 32 million eligible Latino voters who will say “adios” to @realDonaldTrump in November,” Castro tweeted.

With the right engagement, Latinos can determine the outcome of November’s election.

I’m proud to partner with @votolatino as they work to register and empower the 32 million eligible Latino voters who will say “adios” to @realDonaldTrump in November. https://t.co/W7OjsEQb1R

— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) May 22, 2020

Castro sat on Voto Latino’s board of directors before launching his White House bid.

The group has put a premium on boosting its voter registration efforts heading into the 2020 elections, setting a goal to register 1 million people before Nov. 3. 

Voto Latino is also planning on doubling its fundraising to $25 million by the election, according to Politico, which was the first to report on Castro’s hiring. 

“There’s this misconception that voter registration cannot be done in the face of Covid. And so people are kind of speeding to a halt,” Voto Latino CEO Maria Teresa Kumar told the outlet. “What we’ve been able to demonstrate is that is not the case. Not only are we registering but we’re 20 percent to our [voter registration] goal.”

The efforts could come at a key time for Biden, as Democratic handwringing over his campaign’s appeal to Hispanic voters rises. Latino voters voted heavily in favor of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) during the primary, and critics have said the former vice president has not done enough to reach out to the key voting bloc since he locked up the Democratic nomination.