WASHINGTON, Jan 2 — Julian Castro, an Obama-era cabinet member and the only Hispanic candidate in the US presidential race, ended his 2020 White House bid today after failing to boost his flagging poll numbers.

"It’s with profound gratitude to all of our supporters that I suspend my campaign for president today,” Castro said on Twitter, adding that he would "keep fighting for an America where everyone counts.”

The 45-year-old former mayor of San Antonio, Texas had struggled to raise his profile in a crowded Democratic Party nomination field, rarely rising above two per cent in polls. — AFP