Democratic presidential hopeful Julian Castro said he did not want to hold a voter's baby, prompting boos from the crowd during an appearance at NetRoots Nation this past weekend. He cited a desire to protect the infant's health, saying he wasn't a "typical politician" and he had been "shaking a million hands."
A video from the Washington Examiner shows the former Housing and Urban Development secretary trying to defend his decision not to hold an activist's baby.
"Do you want to go hold that baby?" one of the moderators asked Castro, to which he had no response and did not stand up to go over to the mother who walked up to the stage to ask a question.
"I know, I know, look I'm not going to be the typical politician," Castro said, prompting boos from the crowd.
"She's pretty cute, though," the moderator responded.
"No no no, look, my wife and I know, I have a four-year-old and we miss when he was that little," he said, trying to calm the crowd. "I've been shaking a million hands, I don't want to hold her baby, I've been shaking a million hands. I don't want to give the baby a cold."
"There's a commitment to health care right there," the moderator jokingly said before prompting the mother to ask the question.
The Examiner reported that Kirsten Gillibrand (D., N.Y.) previously walked over to hold another attendee's baby as the attendee asked her a question.