Julian Castro has been called a rising star in the Democratic party since he delivered the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention and his work in the Obama administration. He is a young charismatic politician and was the youngest member of the Obama cabinet. While some may view his bid for the nomination as a long shot, he serves as the antithesis of the Trump administration – a repudiation of the racist and xenophobic narrative that this president has tried to paint of Mexicans and Hispanics at large.
Castro was born in San Antonio, Texas, to parents that were both political activists. His mother, Maria ‘Rosie’ Castro, helped establish a political party called La Raza Unida, out of exasperation with the Democratic party. Julian has credited his mother’s activism for his entry into politics. Castro received a Bachelor of Political Science and Communications from Stanford University in 1996. During this time, he interned for the Clinton administration. After graduating from Harvard Law in 2000 he worked for a private law firm before eventually starting his own practice with his twin brother in 2005.
In 2001, Castro became the youngest person elected to the San Antonio City Council at 26 years old. Four years later he unsuccessfully ran for mayor and after his defeat, he opened his private law practice with his brother. In 2009 he tried running for mayor again, this time winning. He would go on to win he re-elections in the years to come with huge overwhelming majorities. In 2014 he was nominated and confirmed as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Almost immediately, rumors swirled about his possible Vice Presidential nomination on the 2016 Democratic ticket.
On the issues, it is a bit difficult to pin down this rising star in the party. As a former mayor and cabinet member, Castro doesn’t have a voting record. This could prove to be beneficial to him; less baggage. His time as mayor in Texas does offer some insights into his views. Castro has been a long supporter of LGBTQ rights. As mayor of San Antonio he fought against a Texas law banning same-sex marriage, pushing for domestic partner benefits in the city. He was the first mayor to walk in the gay pride parade in his home city. On reproductive rights, he fought alongside Wendy Davis against a Texas law that would have banned abortion after 20 weeks and limited facilities in the state.
Castro has thrown his support behind a number of important pieces of legislation at the moment. He supports some version of the Green New Deal and rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement. His overall approach has been to appeal to the business community stating that it is in their best interest to support and increase their funding for renewable energies. With Medicare for All getting national attention, the young politician has also endorsed the proposal. On immigration, Castro supports comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway for citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Unlike some other Democrats, he has not called for the complete abolition of ICE, instead the agency needs to be reformed. Not much is known about Castro’s foreign policy views, except the fact that he supports the planned withdrawal from Syria, criticizing the president’s announcement of an ‘unplanned’ withdrawal.
Julian Castro is young, at age 44, and ready to hit the ground running. He brings to the Democratic party a vision of fresh energy, something that has been lacking for a long time. In what is becoming a very crowded field of candidates, it is going to be difficult for Castro to set himself apart and stand out. His policies and rhetoric seem to be more in the centrist style of the party, which at the moment is not clear if that will be a liability or an asset. The Democratic party is increasingly being pushed more to the left, a good thing in my opinion. Identity politics are still important in Washington and the fact that he is a Latino will be very interesting to watch as the primaries begin. Castro is the antithesis and the perfect foil to Trumps racist rhetoric. Julian is sure to get under the skin of President Trump in coming months, nominee or not. Another thing to consider is Texas. The state has been a reliable red state for decades, with Jimmy Carter being the last Democratic presidential candidate to win the state in 1976. In recent years, the state’s politics have been slowly trending blue, due to demographics and internal state politics. Could a young Hispanic candidate do the unthinkable in 2020? Who knows, modern American politics has been very unusual and surprising over the last decade.
Dale Seufert-Navarro
to the LEFT 