INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

Julian Castro Dines With Clintons, Stoking 2016 Speculation

By Dustin Wicksell
Published on: 15:19 PST, Aug 16, 2014

Former San Antonio, Texas, mayor Julian Castro is reportedly being cultivated as a powerful ally for presumed 2016 presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, leading some observers to speculate that he could be considered as a potential running mate.

Former President Bill Clinton invited Julian Castro to the Clinton’s home in Washington last week, according to The Washington Post. The 39-year-old Castro, who will be sworn in as the new Housing and Urban Development Secretary on Monday, dined with the Clintons privately. Friends described the meeting as “a chance for Democratic leaders from different generations to become better acquainted.”

Hillary Clinton is keeping both Castro and his twin brother close, The Daily Mail reports, “just in case” she wins the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016. According to Henry Cisneros, who acted as HUD Secretary for Bill Clinton’s administration, “Clearly, if you were putting together a list of five people in the country who could potentially be a contributing running mate, you would have to put Julian Castro on that list.”

Castro, who is the youngest member of President Obama’s cabinet, was nominated for the HUD position in May, and confirmed last month. Long considered to be a potential running mate for any Democratic candidate in 2016, Castro didn’t have the kind of national experience or profile that would qualify him for the vice presidential spot until he was offered the cabinet position. He reportedly turned down a previous offer to serve as transportation secretary.

Cisneros, a family friend and political mentor of the Castros, called the relationship “a natural friendship waiting to bloom.” He reportedly discussed Castro’s political future with Hillary Clinton during a private luncheon in March, held in New Mexico. Cisneros also advised Castro to take a position within the Obama Administration, saying “I thought that if he was going to be vice-presidential material in 2016, then he needed to be more than mayor at that time.”

Julian Castro rocketed to prominence as the first Latino to give the Democratic National Convention keynote address in 2012, as The Inquisitr reported. Transparent in his presidential ambitions, Castro is widely seen as the left’s answer to a pair of influential Hispanic Republicans, Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. Marco Rubio. Both men are mulling 2016 presidential campaigns, leading observers to believe that if either wins the Republican nomination, Julian Castro may prove indispensable to the Democratic ticket.

[Image via Daily Mail]

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