Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro has a storied political career. Originally from San Antonio, Castro served as the youngest city council member in the city’s history at just 26 years old.
Following his tenure on the city council, Castro went on to become the mayor of San Antonio in 2009. Castro served the city until 2014, when he resigned as mayor to serve as the next secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in the Obama administration.
Because of his qualifications and political leanings, Castro was almost chosen to be Hillary Clinton’s running mate during the 2016 election, but Tim Kaine, a U.S. senator from Virginia, was ultimately chosen.
Castro’s climate proposal is one that will not only transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, but it will help bolster the economy as well. If elected, Castro wants to direct $10 trillion to federal, state, local and private investments over the next decade to aid in transitioning to a 100% clean-energy economy.
Castro’s campaign website states: “We must also invest in manufacturing, research and development, raise standards to ensure new light and medium-duty vehicles and buildings are zero emissions by 2030, and double federal investment in public transportation to electrify buses and expand public transit. These sectors are critical because combined they contribute over 70% of greenhouse gas emissions.”
Castro, like many other Democrats in the running for the 2020 primary ballot, believes in sweeping gun control legislation after the increase in mass shootings in the country. Although some voters may not feel this way, Castro defines his stance on the issue as “common sense gun safety laws.” Castro is in favor of universal background checks without National Rifle Association loopholes, a renewed assault weapons ban as well as strict limits on high-capacity magazines, all of which he believes will reduce gun fatalities.
As far as economics in the U.S. go, Castro believes that a large majority of the electorate has been left behind in past decades.
Castro has coined his plan as the “People First Economic Plan for Working Families.” His three steps of the plan are as follows: step one would be to create an inherited wealth tax, which means that wealthy heirs will pay their fair share of taxes on wealth they inherited, much like they would on any other source of income. Step two would be to treat income from capital and labor just the same, and step three would be to repeal the Trump tax plan which he believes enriches donors, big corporations and the very wealthy.
All in all, because he’s been involved in politics since he was 26 years old, Castro certainly has the experience to make a solid candidate for the 2020 presidential election. He has very sound policy positions that are true to the soul of many moderate democrats, which can’t be said for some front runners that have been running much more progressive positions.
Although he’s not polling as high as the three front runners — Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, he still has a fair shot at the primary with a continued lessening of Democratic candidates throughout the debate season.
