The Stakes 2020: Texting with Julián Castro

THE LEDE

The last debate: The Democrats staged their last official confrontation not over the big divisions between left and center but with the left-wing candidates who really need one another’s voters to switch sides fighting for their wing of the party. In the great primary tradition, usually the candidate who stays out of that fight — in this case Biden — wins. But we’ve also got a long way to go, and room for some other self-immolating face-off.

How'd that guy get onstage? People don't talk much about how Tom Steyer got so rich. But it’s helpful to understand how he took an arbitrageur’s approach to a market the Democratic National Committee thought couldn't be gamed.

READ RECEIPTS

Julián Castro

I texted again this week with Julián Castro, the former San Antonio mayor and Obama cabinet member who dropped out of the race in early January, about his endorsement of Elizabeth Warren, that moment with Bernie, his views on the media, and his brother’s questionable social media choices.

ON THE TRAIL WITH BUZZFEED NEWS

Speaking of conflicts, the one between Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders is not exactly over, Molly, Ruby, and Nidhi report from the debate.

And from Nidhi in Nevada: Immigration politics continue to be really complicated for Joe Biden.

Black Lives Matter activists won’t leave Pete Buttigieg alone, Molly and Henry report from Iowa.

On Capitol Hill, Addy caught up with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who said she thought it’s “important to say a woman can win” and believes that Sanders thinks so too.

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