How Castro went from having “zero interest in Washington” to being a possible contender for vice president.
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Julián Castro’s journey to Washington
Last week, San Antonio Express-News columnist Brian Chasnoff broke the news that Mayor Julián Castro could be moving to Washington to join the Obama administration. Here’s a look at his political journey to higher office, and what his departure means for San Antonio and Texas.
- When Julián Castro gave the keynote speech at the 2012 Democratic National Convention and became a national political figure, he said he had “zero interest in Washington” and intended to remain as San Antonio’s mayor for as long as voters would have him.
- @Rivardreport That’s an easy one, Bob. I’ll be mayor through May 2017, if the voters will have me. Zero interest in Washington.
- At the time, Christian Archer, Castro’s campaign manager, said critics had falsely claimed Castro was using the mayor’s office as a political stepping stone for years, ever since Castro first ran for mayor against Phil Hardberger and lost in June 2005.
“They’ve been saying that since I ran Hardberger’s campaign against (Castro), and I was saying it,” Archer told the San Antonio Express-News at a sendoff party for the Castro twins before they left for the democratic convention.
- Castro brothers rock DNC sendoff celebrationThe glare of a national spotlight changed that Saturday as the Castro brothers, escorted by uniformed police officers, waded through an eager crowd of supporters. Mayor Julián Castro and state Rep. JoaquÃn Castro experienced the rock star treatment as they prepared to leave for the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., where the mayor will be the keynote speaker.
- After President Barack Obama was re-elected, he gauged Castro’s interest in serving as U.S. Secretary of Transportation, but “Castro demurred.”
- Texas Twins Campaign, but They Aren’t Sure for WhatSAN ANTONIO, Tex. – Mayor Julián Castro of San Antonio faced off in a televised debate on Tuesday against a Republican candidate for Texas lieutenant governor, even though Mr. Castro, officially anyway, is not running for anything at all. “Sometimes I get impatient,” Mr. Castro said on a recent afternoon here.
- But last week, all that changed.Two sources told Brian Chasnoff, a columnist with the San Antonio Express-News, that Obama had extended another offer to Castro to join the president’s Cabinet. This time, Castro expressed interest.Chasnoff’s sources said they didn’t know which post Castro was offered, but the FBI was in the process of vetting the mayor, and it seemed likely Castro was heading to Washington.Such a move could make Castro a contender for higher office, such as vice president in 2016.Chasnoff broke the news in a column published Saturday …
- Mayor Julián Castro likely heading to WashingtonThe process Mayor Julián Castro faces includes vetting by the FBI, which reportedly already has begun.
- .@bchasnoff breaks a huge story: Mayor Julián Castro is considering post in Obama’s cabinet http://www.expressnews.com/news/news_columnists/brian_chasnoff/article/Mayor-Juli-n-Castro-likely-heading-to-Washington-5485105.php?cmpid=twitter-premium&t=cec8c2528b73fef585 … pic.twitter.com/ScPx1SCTQy
- … and the story spread quickly.
- Scoop from @bchasnoff: Obama has offered cabinet post to Julian Castro, Castro has “signaled willingness” to accept http://bit.ly/1o0FURD ”
- WOW Is Mayor Julián Castro headed to Washington to be in Obama’s cabinet? http://www.expressnews.com/news/news_columnists/brian_chasnoff/article/Mayor-Juli-n-Castro-likely-heading-to-Washington-5485105.php?cmpid=fb-premium&t=cec8c2528bdffd779b&cmpid=twitter-premium&t=cec8c2528b4b6b00f7&cmpid=twitter-premium&t=cec8c2528b …
- Report: Julian Castro tapped for cabinet post http://politi.co/1mEvK9B
- Later that morning, the New York Times confirmed the story and learned Castro was being considered as secretary of housing and urban development.
- San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro Is Said to Be HUD Pick in Cabinet …1 day ago … WASHINGTON — President Obama is preparing to nominate Mayor Julián
Castro of San Antonio as his new secretary of housing and urban … - San Antonio Mayor @JulianCastro is @BarackObama’s pick to head HUD — @eramshaw reports http://trib.it/1gB6DV2
- What you need to know about Julián Castro, the likely next head of …1 day ago … Since Saturday morning, the media in San Antonio have been buzzing about a
likely home in President Obama’s Cabinet for the city’s … - Castro’s move raises all kinds of questions. Among them: What does this mean for Democrats in Texas, where they hope to turn the state from red to blue as Hispanics increasingly become a political force?
- Julian Castro’s move to HUD is essentially a declaration that Battleground Texas has failed – a sign he knows he has no future in the state.
- Express-News columnist Gilbert Garcia saw Castro taking the same political path as George H.W. Bush, who at the time was a Republican stuck in Texas when Democrats were in charge. Bush was appointed to several federal positions on his journey to the White House.“The George H.W. Bush model shows how far a savvy politician can go without actually winning elections,” Garcia wrote.
- Castro’s cabinet appointment will put him on the Bush pathThere’s not much history of Cabinet members making a direct leap from running a federal department to being part of a national ticket. The last time it happened was 1940, when Franklin Roosevelt picked Henry Wallace, his agriculture secretary, to replace John Nance Garner as his running mate, after Garner started going rogue with his hatred of Roosevelt’s New Deal.
- When Castro leaves, who takes his place as mayor? And who decides?It turns out the remaining members of City Council pick Castro’s replacement. “The appointed new mayor must come from the 10-member council, according to the city charter,” wrote City Hall reporter Josh Baugh.“’The process is not ideal. It’s a six-dimensional chess game with several variables,’” said Councilman Rey Saldaña, who wouldn’t say yet whether he’ll seek the appointment.”
- As mayor exits, who’s likely to take over?SAN ANTONIO — Potential successors of Mayor Julián Castro, expected to be nominated for President Barack Obama’s Cabinet, are lining up to replace the popular three-term mayor, who could be in Washington within months. When news broke Saturday that Castro could become the next secretary for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, his City Council colleagues were discussing how best to replace him.
- Bexar Left and RightImagine the scene. Ten council members file out of council chambers crossing Flores to enter City Hall in Plaza de Armas and ascend to the fourth floor. City Manager Sheryl Sculley seals the door behind them as San Antonio awaits the selection of the next mayor.
- Is Castro a good fit for the Department of Housing and Urban Development?Revitalizing the urban core of San Antonio was one of Castro’s primary goals in office. But he faces big challenges at HUD. “Of all federal bureaucracies, HUD is among the most challenged, dealing with multigenerational poverty, decaying neighborhoods and a budget dwarfed by unmet needs.”
- Castro and HUD: Big challenges, big opportunityIn taking the reins of an agency where needs are great and progress has been painfully slow, the three-term San Antonio mayor has a great opportunity to make an impact as well as burnish his already lustrous resume, a former senior official at the Department of Housing and Urban Development said.
- Julian Castro’s going to run HUD, but HUD isn’t where the housing policy money is: http://www.vox.com/2014/5/19/5728580/julian-castros-going-to-run-hud-but-hud-doesnt-really-run-federal … pic.twitter.com/BYXm96MO8K
- Can Julián Castro succeed where former HUD secretary Henry Cisneros failed? http://theatln.tc/1oBF3t9
- Last but not least … does Castro’s twin brother, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, get a secret service detail?
- Man, I would hope so. “@KateNocera: If Julian Castro gets tapped for VP, does his twin @JoaquinCastrotx also get secret service detail?”
