Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America
Julián Castro, born September 16, 1974, is an American lawyer and politician from San Antonio, Texas. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 2014 to 2017 under the administration of President Barack Obama. Prior to that, Castro served as mayor of San Antonio from 2009 until he joined Obama's cabinet.
Julián Castro is the twin brother of Congressman Joaquin Castro. He launched his campaign for the Democratic nomination for U.S. President in 2020 but dropped out in January 2020, endorsing Elizabeth Warren soon after. Castro is of Mexican descent and credits his mother, a Chicano political activist, for inspiring his career in public service. He and his brother Joaquin graduated from Stanford and Harvard Law School, both of whom are beneficiaries of affirmative action policies.
As mayor of San Antonio, Castro created SA2020, a community-based effort to set goals for the city, and founded Cafe College, a university-advising initiative. He also led a referendum to expand preschool education in the city. In 2012, Castro gained national attention by being the first Hispanic to deliver the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention.
Following his stint as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Castro was mentioned as a possible candidate for vice president in the 2016 election. In 2019, he formally announced his candidacy for the 2020 presidential election, focusing on policies such as Medicare-For-All and universal preschool education. However, he faced criticism during the debates, especially for his interaction with Joe Biden, which many saw as a personal attack.
Castro suspended his campaign in January 2020 and endorsed Elizabeth Warren. Subsequently, he supported Joe Biden in the general election. In September 2020, Castro launched a weekly podcast, and in 2021, he joined NBC News and MSNBC as a political commentator. He was married to Erica Lira, with whom he has two children, and is Catholic. Castro is not a native Spanish speaker, but he began learning the language while he was mayor of San Antonio.
