Note: This will be the final 2020 Candidate Profile in this format. I am going to work to rewrite them. I am not really liking the way these are presented and I would like to try and make them more interesting. You will see my style for the Labour Leadership Candidate blogposts soon which is more what I want to make these 2020 Candidate Profiles into. I am currently working very hard to make changes for the betterment of this blog and for its future. Thank you.
Julian Castro is the latest Democratic candidate to drop out of the 2020 race, which he did on 2nd January and subsequently endorsed Elizabeth Warren. The main reason for Castro dropping out was due to poor polling and being unable to break into the top tier of candidates which at the moment appear to be figures such as Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg, the latter being fairly surprising for a mere mayor.
DoB: September 16th, 1974 in San Antonio, Texas, US.
Religion: Catholic background
Education: Graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor’s degree in political science and communications (1996) Graduated Harvard Law School with a Juris Doctor. (2000)
Positions
Worked as an intern at the White House between Junior and Sophomore years during the Bill Clinton presidency.
Was Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Obama Admin from 2014 to 2017.
Also served as mayor of San Antonio from 2009 to 2014.
Other Notable Achievements
- Opened up a law firm with his brother in 2005
- Castro was named as the Dean’s Distinguished Fellow and Fellow of the Dávila Chair in International Trade Policy at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs in 2018.
- Became the youngest city council person elected in San Antonio history.
- Castro was named to the World Economic Forum’s list of Young Global Leaders in 2010.
- Time magazine placed him on its “40 under 40” list of rising stars in American politics in 2010.
- Became the first Hispanic to deliver the Keynote Address at a Democratic National Convention.
- Released two political books including his memoir, “An Unlikely Journey: Waking Up from My American Dream” and co-authored a book with Lynn M. Ross called “HUD At 50: Creating Pathways to Opportunity”.
Overview
Formed an exploratory committee back on December 12th 2018 and later announced bid for 2020 President on 12th January 2019 a day after Tulsi Gabbard, making him the 5th Democratic candidate to do so. Was a possible contender for first Latino President. He is one of the more progressive Democrats and wants a large reform on the immigration system.
Political Career
San Antonio City Council representing the 7th District – 2001 – 2005
- Opposed PGA-approved golf course and large-scale real estate development on the city’s outer rim.
Mayor of San Antonio – 2009 – 2014
- Created SA2020 – a list of goals by the people of San Antonio based on a collective vision of San Antonio in the year 2020. SA2020 became a non-profit organization that is tasked with implementing the goals.
- Established the College Café that offered college guidance to students in San Antonio.
- Led a voter referendum to expand pre-kindergarten education. Also persuaded two prominent businessman, Charles Butt and Joe Robles, to lead an effort to pass $30 million sales tax to fund the pre-kindergarten education program.
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Obama admin – 2014 – 2017
Castro outlined accomplishments of his department after exiting its office in 2017 including…
- Working to stabilize the Housing Market
- Rebuilding communities struck by natural disaster through a $1 billion National Disaster Resilience Competition.
- Expansion of lead safety protections in federally assisted housing.
- Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule to “finally fulfil the obligation of the Fair Housing Act”.
Other Political Activity/notes
- Credited Affirmative Action for him and his brother getting into Stanford and is a big reason why he supports it.
- Declined offer from Obama in 2012 to be Secretary of Transportation as he was considering whether to run for Texas Governor.
- Endorsed Hillary Clinton for president in late 2015.
- Castro has said he believes in “balanced budgets”
- Castro supports free trade and also has support for NAFTA, although he wants to renegotiate certain parts, to strengthen workers and environmental protections.
- Castro has supported making the first 2 years of higher education free and also universal Pre-K.
- Castro has made calls for Universal Healthcare and Medicare-for-all. He also said he would consider higher taxes on corporations and the rich to help fund these programs.
- Castro Supports the Paris Climate Accord and criticised Trump for pulling out of it. Castro has also voiced support on a Green New Deal. He has also worked with companies to help them transition to renewable energy. Previously though Castro has talked of the benefits of fossil fuel jobs and creating an energy policy that includes fossil fuels.
- Castro supports a gradual withdrawal of troops from Syria but has criticised Trump’s handling of it.
- Castro says that as a presidential candidate he will not take any PAC money and also urged others to do the same. This is despite him creating his own PAC in 2017 called “Opportunity First” which has covered his own running expenses and donated to numerous young progressive Democratic politicians.
- Despite a Catholic background Castro supports a woman’s right to abortion and has strongly opposed legislation that limits abortion access after the 20th week of pregnancy among other abortion restrictions.
- Castro is a strong advocate for LGBT rights. He opposed a law in Texas that denied legal recognition of same-sex marriage, which was later overturned by the Supreme Court. He is also a member of the Inter-American Dialogue Think Tank based in Washington D.C. Castro was also the first San Antonio mayor to serve as grand marshal for the cities pride parade. He also led a push to offer domestic partner benefits in the city. He also signed the “Mayors for the Freedom to Marry” petition alongside other mayors across the country, for same-sex marriage equality. He is also strongly against the military transgender ban.
- Castro supports tighter control on guns and has also supported the reinstatement of an assault weapons ban to limit access to high capacity magazines and to get around the “gun show loophole”.
- Castro supports strong immigration reform to help undocumented migrants and is strongly against Trump’s border wall. He has also said the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency needs to be reconstituted.
Thank you for reading. I have an announcement coming on Monday to do with how this blog is changing this year and I am quite excited. I am going to be busy all this week getting preparations in place for the changes to come.
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