Julián Castro (/ˌhuːliˈɑːn/ HOO-lee-AHN,[1] Spanish: [xuˈljan]; born September 16, 1974) is an American lawyer and politician from San Antonio, Texas.

Castro served as the mayor of his native San Antonio, Texas from 2009 until he joined Barack Obama's cabinet in 2014.

On January 12, 2019, Castro launched his campaign for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in 2020 in San Antonio.

[8] Castro attended Thomas Jefferson High School in San Antonio, where he played football, basketball and tennis; he also collected trading cards.[which?

He said he began thinking about entering politics while at Stanford,[11] where he and his brother launched their first campaigns and won student senate seats, tying for the highest number of votes.

[17] Between his sophomore and junior years, Castro worked as an intern at the White House during the presidency of Bill Clinton.

[23] As a councilman from 2001 to 2005, he opposed a PGA-approved golf course and large-scale real estate development on the city's outer rim.

[24] Castro ran for mayor of San Antonio in 2005 and was widely viewed as the front runner in a field that also included retired judge Phil Hardberger and conservative city councilman Carroll Schubert.

[28] Castro persuaded two of the most prominent businessmen in San Antonio, Charles Butt and Joe Robles, to lead an effort to pass a $30 million sales tax to fund the pre-kindergarten education program.

[33][34] Following the 2012 elections, Castro declined the position of United States Secretary of Transportation, partly with an eye on running for governor of Texas after 2017.

[18] However, in 2014, Castro accepted President Barack Obama's offer of the position of United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

He was confirmed by the Senate on July 9, 2014, by a vote of 71-26 and replaced Shaun Donovan, who was nominated to be the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

[38] Following the announcement, Castro was discussed as a potential nominee for vice president for the Democratic Party in the 2016 presidential election.

[39][40] On July 28, 2014, his first day in office, Castro was honored at a reception called "Celebrating Latino Cabinet Members" hosted by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute.

"[44] Discussion of Castro as a candidate to run on the Democratic ticket with Hillary Clinton increased markedly in January 2016, as the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries approached.

[45][46] In late January, Castro began to campaign for Clinton in Iowa, a move interpreted as a test of his appeal to the electorate.

[47] In July 2016, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel issued a finding that Castro had violated the Hatch Act by commenting on the 2016 campaign while giving an interview in an official capacity; Castro admitted the error and ordered his team to improve training on the Hatch Act.

[56] Castro formally announced his candidacy for the 2020 presidential election on January 12, 2019, at a rally in San Antonio, TX.

[62] In 2019, he purchased a Fox News ad in order to speak directly to Donald Trump about the El Paso shooting.

Castro was rebuked for his remarks by various members of the candidates on stage including, Andrew Yang, Amy Klobuchar, and Pete Buttigieg.

[87] In October 2020, Castro joined the board of directors of the Center for American Progress, a center-left think tank founded by John Podesta.

[95][96] Castro has called for universal health care and indicated he would consider funding such a program by raising taxes on corporations and the wealthy.

He wrote that "The United States must lead with our values and speak out for pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong, and not allow American citizens to be bullied by an authoritarian government.

He had however formed a PAC (Opportunity First) in 2017 which mostly covered his running expenses while also donating to several dozen "young, progressive" Democratic politicians.

[102] Castro is pro-choice, and has "vigorously" opposed state laws limiting abortion access after the 20th week of pregnancy and other restrictions.

[93] Castro has been an advocate for LGBTQ rights and, as mayor, opposed the law in Texas (later overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court) that denied legal recognition to same-sex marriages.

[106] In an interview with Mara Keisling of TransEquality, Julian Castro decried the treatment of trans people as second-class citizens.

[115] He is not a native Spanish speaker, but he began learning the language in 2010 while serving as mayor of San Antonio.