Democratic Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren held a packed campaign rally at Kings Theatre on Tuesday, where the Massachusetts senator unveiled an endorsement from former Obama cabinet Secretary Julián Castro.
Castro — who ended his own White House bid earlier this month — officially endorsed Warren’s candidacy at a packed theatre in Flatbush, where he spoke of her commitment to helping working-class Americans keep up with the rising costs of living.
The electric atmosphere in the concert hall was overshadowed, however, by the geopolitical crisis unfolding in the Middle East — as an Iranian air strike had rained down on an American military base in Iraq just moments before the politicos took the stage, which came in response to the killing of General Qasem Soleimani at President Donald Trump’s orders.
Warren began her remarks on Tuesday by acknowledging the tensions, and speaking of the need for a peaceful resolution.
“My heart is with our military and our families,” Warren said. “But this is a reminder of why we need to deescalate tension in the Middle East. The American people do not want a war with Iran.”
The left-wing senator quickly shifted her remarks to her populist economic proposals — touting her plans for a tax on wealth above $50 million, breaking up big tech companies, and the “biggest anti-corruption bill since Watergate.”
In classic Warren fashion, the event concluded with a selfie-line, where all the night’s attendees could get photographed with the senator — and Castro — if they were willing to endure the long wait times.
Warren capped off the event by speaking to a gathered crowd outside the Flatbush Avenue theatre — who were denied entry into the venue for space reasons, but who waited in the rain nonetheless.
The senator’s campaign hopes that Castro’s endorsement will serve to reinvigorate support for Warren, who finds herself polling in third place in national polls at 15-percent, down significantly from her mid-October peak of 23-percent, according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis.
The endorsement also comes at a crucial time for the Democratic Primary, as the first nominating contest — the Iowa Caucus — is less than a month away, on Feb. 3.
