Ahead of Tuesday's Democratic presidential debate, Julián Castro picked up an endorsement from actor John Leguizamo, was mimicked by 'Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and took his own comedic turn at his twin brother's expense.
Leguizamo, most recently nominated for his performance in the docudrama "When They See Us", has been on national tour with "Latino History for Morons," his one-man show that uses his comedic and acting talents to educate the country about its Hispanic and Latin American history. The show also was a Netflix feature.
Although the endorsement was announced Monday, Leguizamo had made his Democratic presidential candidate preference clear over the summer when Stephen Colbert asked his choice.
"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 a policy adviser to Trump behind much of the administration's hard-line immigration policies.
On Monday, Julián Castro's campaign released a list of 58 endorsements which include Latina actor and comedian Cristela Alonzo, current and former state and local legislators, former White House officials and community activists.
Castro's campaign is struggling; though his campaign said he has had his best fundraising quarter, he has not met the polling requirement he needs to qualify for November's debate.
Castro will be among the 12 Democratic candidates participating in Tuesday's debate in Ohio.
His campaign announced that on Tuesday, hours before the debate, Castro would visit a Mennonite church in Columbus, Ohio, and meet with Edith Espinal, an undocumented immigrant who has been in the U.S. for 20 years and is facing deportation despite support from the community and some elected officials. She has sought sanctuary at the church and has asked the 2020 presidential candidates to meet with her.
An 'SNL' ribbing, roasting his twin
Monday's endorsements followed a weekend of activities and some media attention, including some ribbing from Lin-Manuel Miranda who portrayed Castro on "Saturday Night Live" and pitched himself as "young, diverse. I'm Latinobama." Miranda's appearance followed criticism of the show after it did not include Castro, the only Latino candidate in the race, in a debate sketch during the season premiere on Sept. 28.
The Castro brothers spoke Sunday at The New Yorker Festival, an event held by New Yorker magazine. Julián Castro walked onstage to “My Shot,” a song from "Hamilton," created and starring Miranda.
Castro got in the act himself over the weekend, but rather than mock himself, he chose the next closest thing, his identical twin, Rep. Joaquín Castro, D-Texas.
Castro helped the Society of Professional Journalists, San Antonio, raise money for journalism scholarships with an appearance in the 2019 Gridiron Show that was themed "Enemies of the State." The satirical show pokes fun at current events and newsmakers, and Castro and his brother have participated in previous years.
The 2020 presidential candidate mocked the media at the Saturday night event for regularly confusing him and his brother, The San Antonio Express News reported. When MSNBC confused the two recently, Joaquín Castro called out the mix-up in a tweet and asked whether he needs a face tattoo to help people tell them apart.
Julián Castro read a top 10 list of face tattoos his brother should get. Among the recommendations, “The word 'impeachment' to remind Congress what the right thing to do is.” His top recommendation was “Rosie” — their mother's name — because he’s a momma’s boy.
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