John Leguizamo Endorses Julián Castro for President
Julián Castro is the only Latinx Democratic presidential candidate and now John Leguizamo, actor, playwright, comedian, and creator of Latin History for Morons, has endorsed him
Photo: Wikimedia/Gage Skidmore
Julián Castro is the only Latinx Democratic presidential candidate and now John Leguizamo, actor, playwright, comedian, and creator of Latin History for Morons, has endorsed him. Though he officially endorsed him on Monday, he’s been supporting him for months now.
Earlier this month he posted on Instagram asking for Latinx to donate to Castro’s campaign and during an interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, he named him as has his favorite candidate.
“Julián Castro. I love that cat. I met him 10 years ago. He was what 30 back then? He was so brilliant, so smart, so composed. … I want him to win, plus he’ll make Stephen Miller so angry,” Leguizamo said. Miller is one of Trump’s policy advisers who has developed some of the administration’s strict immigration policies.
The Colombian star debuted his one-man show Latin History for Morons in 2016 to critical acclaim and the Broadway show was nominated for a 2018 Tony Award for Best Play and it debuted on Netflix last year.
What’s more? Leguizamo isn’t the only Latinx celeb to show Castro some love or support. Actress, writer, and comedian Cristela Alonzo has also been a vocal supporter of the candidate. “His roots come from generations of strong women that taught him that the impossible was always within his grasp. He comes from immigrants that sought a better life for their future and because of that, he seeks a better life for all Americans. His policies are an example of that, ranging from education to police reform,” Alonzo said, per Politico.
“The direction of this country should be towards a time where we are all shown not only that we matter but that we can thrive and live in a country where we all are truly treated equal. Julian Castro has that vision,” she added.
Alonzo, who is Mexican-American, is the first Latina to create, produce, write, and star in her own U.S. primetime comedy and she recently released her memoir, Music to My Years: A Mixtape Memoir of Growing Up and Standing Up.
It was recently announced that ahead of the debate today, Castro would visit Edith Espinal, an undocumented immigrant seeking sanctuary in a Mennonite church in Columbus, Ohio who has been in the U.S. for 20 years and faces deportation.
The Mexican-American presidential candidate has made immigration a cornerstone of his candidacy and he also has policy proposals that benefit farmworkers, indigenous communities, and the LGBTQ community.
Leguizamo and Alonzo are two of the 58 endorsements Castro released yesterday that include several councilmembers and representatives for the communities he’s vowed to aid should he become president.
Hey yo, I’m just like my country,
I’m young, scrappy and hungry,
And I’m not throwing away my shot. https://t.co/Sp8KMgc68q— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) October 13, 2019
The father of two who is married to Erica Castro, a long-time educator, was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas and eventually became mayor of the city and in 2014 he became President Obama’s Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. He’s been a vocal critic of Trump and went viral with the phrase “Adios, Trump,” used during the presidential debate, a phrase he then sold on t-shirts.
Playwright and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda recently portrayed him on Saturday Night Live after he was left out of a previous episode which Latinx twitter called out for lack of representation. In the episode, Miranda plays Castro as “young, diverse. I’m Latinobama” and Castro responded by quoting lines from “My Shot,” a song from Miranda’s famous Broadway play, Hamilton.
Though Castro’s campaign has struggled to gain the attention and support of the other candidates, with such major support from well known Latinx celebs it looks like the candidate is rising up the ranks.
