Beto O'Rourke's Texas backers are pivoting to Julián Castro

Beto O'Rourke's loss is turning into Julián Castro's gain.

O'Rourke, a former Texas congressmember, dropped out of the 2020 presidential race last week, ending the once-soaring expectations for his candidacy. And it has seemingly only benefited his fellow Texan Democrat, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro, The Texas Tribune reports.

Even though he'd lost his previous election to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), O'Rourke was expected to take the 2020 race by storm and at least end up a frontrunner. But even with an initial surge of donations, that never really happened, and O'Rourke quit the race without ever begging for cash. That left his backers with the big decision of who to support next.

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For nine Texas state lawmakers, the choice was simple: the other Texan. That total includes four state lawmakers from O'Rourke's native El Paso, among them State Assembly Minority Leader Joe Moody (D). They all announced their switch to Castro on Tuesday, with State Sen. José Rodríguez (D) saying "Julián is a national leader with a clear vision for a more prosperous and diverse nation," per the Tribune.

The endorsements are recent, but it still seems unlike they'll help Castro in the long run. His campaign recently sent out calls for donations saying he'd drop out if he didn't raise $800,000 by the end of October — not exactly the sign of a campaign that will turn itself around with a few home-state supporters.