The numbers don’t get much better in early primary states. In July, a Suffolk University poll found immigration was tied as the third most popular issue facing Iowa voters. Now it ranks second-to-last, a collapse of over 40% in just three months. Instead of pivoting, Castro dug in on immigration during the October debate.
Unfortunately for Castro, the largely white Democratic voters who decide things in New Hampshire and Iowa got bored of emotionally exhausting problems like famished Guatemalans and unchallenged police violence. That Castro refused to abandon these issues even as they faded from the headlines is a testament to his close ties to the underrepresented crises weakening the fabric of American civic life.
Dig into the numbers and you’ll find a compelling argument that Castro, for all of his progressive bona-fides and mastery of red-meat liberal issues, simply failed to sell a broader message as Americans — and especially Democratic primary voters — shifted their political attention from an ongoing border crisis to the neon lights of healthcare reform.