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Former HUD Secretary and Mayor Julián Castro Announces His Candidacy           ... 1 of 10 >
"We’re going to make sure that the promise of America is there for everyone."
Jan. 12, 2019 - Speaking to hundreds of enthusiastic supporters at Plaza Guadelupe in the West San Antonio neighborhood where he grew up, former HUD Secretary and Mayor Julián Castro announced his candidacy for president of the United States.  "We’re going to make sure that the promise of America is there for everyone," Castro declared [remarks].  Castro emphasized his roots growing up in San Antonio, and he addressed familiar Democratic themes including education, health care, justice, immigration, housing and climate change.  He spoke in Spanish several times.  Castro, 44, is one of the younger hopefuls in what is expected to be a large field of Democratic candidates and he is likely to be the only Latino in the race.  He may face difficulty attracting the resources to compete with more well known candidates, however.  He announced formation of an exploratory committee a month ago on Dec. 12.  Castro served as Mayor of San Antonio from 2009 to mid-2014, when he resigned to serve as HUD Secretary.  Castro's mother Rosie, an activist in her own right, introduced the candidate, and his brother Joaquin, the congressman for the area, also spoke.  Down the street from the announcement, Earlene Menchaca, a woman cleaning her front yard, observed, "We love the Castro brothers.  They're intelligent, they're young, they're full of energy...and I believe he [Julián] has a lot to offer the country."                             

Artwork by 3rd graders at Hillcrest Elementary and T.T. Brackenridge Elementary
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