Hillary Clinton-Julian Castro 2016: an already inevitable Democratic ticket?
| Washington
All the talk about GOP Sen. Marco Rubio鈥檚 prospects as a presidential candidate raises an inevitable question for Democratic favorite Hillary Rodham Clinton: If she鈥檚 the nominee, will she choose a Latino as her running mate?
In 2016, having the first female presidential nominee for a major party in US history may not be enough diversity for the Democratic ticket. The Latino vote is a fast-growing, crucial piece of the American electorate for both parties. So it may, in fact, make sense for Mrs. Clinton to double down on diversity with a Latino running mate.
High on the presumed list is Juli谩n Castro. He鈥檚 secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and former mayor of San Antonio 鈥� long eyed as a rising Democratic star, along with his identical twin, Rep. Joaquin Castro (D) of Texas.
Last May, when President Obama tapped Juli谩n Castro to run HUD, it was clear the White House was trying to build the then-mayor鈥檚 national r茅sum茅. Mr. Obama was 鈥渆xcited about the mayor bringing his practical, on-the-ground success to scale at the federal level,鈥� a White House official said at the time.
In 2012, Mr. Castro was the Democrats鈥� choice as the party鈥檚 national convention keynote speaker 鈥� a slot Obama used in 2004 as a springboard to national fame, and eventually the presidency.
From the moment Castro was nominated to run the housing department, the move was framed as an effort to position him for the next Democratic ticket.
From Castro鈥檚 perspective, being seen as a veep prospect could pay dividends in his work at HUD, usually a backwater for national media coverage. He is cautious about his talk of the future. But he can鈥檛 control what reporters write about him 鈥� including in The Daily Beast that asserted, 鈥淛ulian Castro is in VP training camp.鈥�
Castro said his top goal at HUD is to implement Obama鈥檚 call to end veterans鈥� homelessness, and also to expand housing vouchers for victims of domestic abuse. But inevitably, he was asked about the future.
鈥淲e鈥檒l see what happens in the years to come,鈥� Castro told The Daily Beast鈥檚 Eleanor Clift and a handful of other reporters. 鈥淚鈥檓 trying to do a great job as HUD secretary. If you do a great job, that opens up opportunities, sometimes opportunities you don鈥檛 even see in the future.鈥�
Clinton reportedly has long had her eye on Castro, and though they鈥檝e met a couple of times, they don鈥檛 know each other well, Ms. Clift reports.
鈥淲ith candidate Clinton, it will be about confidence and chemistry,鈥� she writes. 聽
Some Democrats have expressed hope that putting Castro on the ticket could put Texas in play. That鈥檚 probably a long shot. Texas is solid red, and usually a running mate doesn鈥檛 bring many additional votes from his or her home state. (Though one exception involves Texas: In 1960, then-Sen. John F. Kennedy鈥檚 selection of Senate majority leader Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas as his running mate is widely seen as helping deliver Texas, and the election, for the Democrats.)
For the Republicans, having Senator Rubio somewhere on the ticket could help deliver Florida, the most populous battleground state and a must-win for the GOP if it wants to retake the White House. So, too, could the presence of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. His wife, Columba, is Mexican-born, and like Rubio, Mr. Bush speaks Spanish.
For Clinton, selecting a much younger running mate could address the generational issue that Rubio raised in his announcement speech on Monday. By Election Day 2016, Clinton will be in her late 60s and Castro in his early 40s 鈥� maybe still a tad young for veep, some analysts say, but not that much younger than Rubio.
It鈥檚 still early. Candidates have barely begun to announce. But it鈥檚 not too early to look over the horizon and see who鈥檚 out there and imagine what American leadership could look like in less than two years.
