Former Obama Admin Cabinet Member Announces He's Running for President in 2020
It may feel like the 2016 election circus is just barely behind us, but things are already heating up for 2020.
On the Democrat side of the ticket, candidates have already begun jostling for position, with Senator Elizabeth Warren receiving significant attention after her campaign got off to an awkward start just weeks ago.
But Warren isn’t alone. Another Democrat has now announced that he’ll seek the White House in 2020, and he has strong connections to the Obama administration. Over the past weekend, Julián Castro officially confirmed that he will run for president.
If, like many people, your response was “who?” — you’re not alone. Castro has stayed mostly under the radar unlike Warren, but served in the last administration as the secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Before that, he was the major of San Antonio, Texas.
“I’m running for president because it’s time for new leadership, it’s time for new energy, it’s time for new commitment to make sure the opportunities that I had are available to every American,” Castro stated, according to CBS News.
The former HUD secretary is Mexican-American, a fact which could energize the growing Hispanic population in the United States but also be a point of controversy as the immigration and border issue continues to dominate politics.
“When my grandmother got here almost a hundred years ago, I’m sure she never could have imagined that just two generations later, one of her grandsons would be serving as a member of the United States Congress and the other would be standing with you here today to say these words: I am a candidate for President of the United States of America,” Castro said, referencing his twin brother Joaquín who is also in politics.
“I want to be honest with you: There are going to be a lot of great candidates in this race,” admitted his twin Joaquín Castro, “but I know we have the best candidate with the best ideas and the biggest heart.”
Julián Castro wasted no time in taking shots at President Trump, something that he will of course have to do repeatedly if he wants to take the White House from the incumbent.
“There is a crisis today. It’s a crisis of leadership. Donald Trump has failed to uphold the values of our great nation,” the Texas politician declared.
If he manages to become president, Castro would be just 46 years old at that time. This would make him the third youngest president in history, behind Teddy Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy. While this could be an asset, it will also likely raise questions of experience.
Other questions will almost certainly arise about his connection to the Obama administration, which would boost his standing on the left but raise eyebrows from the right. With that said, he remained largely insulated from many of the Obama-era scandals at a department — HUD — which tends to stay out of the news.
While the newcomer certainly has an uphill struggle if he wants to win, his candidacy should be taken seriously.
He’s a young, energetic, rising public figure, and his fairly unknown status could actually be an advantage with an electorate that is tired of the same old names they’ve heard for years. (We’re looking at you, Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden.)
There’s also the Texas factor. The Lone Star State’s electoral votes have been key to Republican victories in past races, with Texas going red in every presidential election since 1976. But that isn’t guaranteed, as the recent close battle between Senator Ted Cruz and Beto O’Rourke showed.
If Castro could carry his home state, he would have a very real chance of taking the White House. Whether or not he can pull that off remains to be seen … but he’s definitely a face to watch as the year gets rolling.
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