Ex-HUD Secretary Castro Eyes 2020 Presidential Run

Feb 08, 2018

One month after launching an exploratory committee to test the waters for a potential presidential run, former U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development Secretary (HUD) Julián Castro formally announced his candidacy for the 2020 Democratic presidenti

Julián Castro, who served as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) in President Barack Obama’s second term and was shortlisted for Hillary Clinton's 2016 running mate, is setting his eye on the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination for 2020.

"I have every interest in running" in 2020 for President, Castro told NBC News. "Part of the process of figuring out whether I'm going to run is going to listen to folks and feel the temperature" of voters."

Castro, 43, formed the Opportunity First Political Action Committee last year and launched it earlier this year. He is already making appearances in New Hampshire, the first state to hold a primary, and is lending his name to fundraising events for Democratic candidates in state-level elections.

Castro views his nascent presidential bid as an effort to rebuke the policies of the current Oval Office occupant.

“This guy is taking the country in the completely wrong direction and he's hurting people while he's doing it,” Castro said. “I have a completely different vision for the country and this seems like an important moment to turn things around.”

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Phil Hall

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Feb 08, 2018

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