Democrat Julian Castro says he’ll ‘likely’ run in 2020

SHARE Democrat Julian Castro says he’ll ‘likely’ run in 2020
julian_castro_e1539738418890.jpg

Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, a Democrat, says he’ll “likely” seek the presidency in 2020 after months of signs that former President Barack Obama’s housing secretary is preparing for a White House run. Castro told The Associated Press on Oct. 16, 2018 that the Democratic nomination is a wide-open race and says voters are open to considering new faces. | AP file photo

Complete coverage of the local and national primary and general election, including results, analysis and voter resources to keep Chicago voters informed.

AUSTIN, Texas — Democrat Julian Castro said Tuesday that he will likely seek the presidency in 2020 after months of signals from former President Barack Obama’s housing secretary that he’s preparing for a White House run.

“I’m likely to do it,” he told The Associated Press.

The 44-year-old Castro would join what is shaping up to be a crowded field of Democratic challengers, which could include Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. Castro said he still wants to see the results of November’s midterm elections before making a final decision, saying he’s “convinced these elections set a mood and a tone” for the next couple of years.

“It’s a wide-open race. People want a new generation of leadership,” Castro said in a phone interview from New York. “Folks are open to considering new faces. I heard that very clearly everywhere that I’ve gone.”

The former San Antonio mayor would be a prominent Latino candidate in the field. Castro said his party vision includes taking Arizona, Florida and his home state of Texas, which have among the highest Hispanic populations in the U.S.

Castro said he believes he could deliver Texas, which has voted Republican in every presidential race since 1980. With three weeks until Election Day, Rep. Beto O’Rourke has shattered expectations for a Democrat in Texas by giving Republican Sen. Ted Cruz a real battle for re-election, but polls still have Cruz ahead.

Castro rose quickly among Democrats after being elected mayor of the nation’s seventh-largest city in his early 30s and giving the keynote speech of the 2012 Democratic National Convention. Obama appointed him as U.S. housing secretary in 2014, and two years later, Castro was rumored as a possible running mate for Hillary Clinton.

Castro first said he was likely to run in an interview with Rolling Stone while promoting his new book titled, “An Unlikely Journey: Waking up from My American Dream.” The memoir was just one of the signs he’s preparing for a 2020 run: Castro has also been campaigning for other Democrats in midterm races nationwide and making trips to Iowa, a destination for presidential hopefuls.

His twin brother is Democratic Congressman Joaquin Castro, who some Texas Democrats had hoped would run for governor or Senate in the midterms.

The Latest
Another federal judge in Chicago who also has dismissed gun cases based on the same Supreme Court ruling says the high court’s decision in what’s known as the Bruen case will “inevitably lead to more gun violence, more dead citizens and more devastated communities.”
The way inflation is measured masks certain costs that add to the prices that consumers pay every day. Not surprisingly, higher costs mean lower consumer confidence, no matter what Americans are told about an improving economy.
With Easter around the corner, chocolate makers and food businesses are feeling the impact of soaring global cocoa prices and it’s also hitting consumers.
Despite getting into foul trouble, which limited him to just six minutes in the second half, Shannon finished with 29 points, five rebounds and two assists.