Joaquín Castro

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Joaquín Castro (2013)

Joaquín Castro (born September 16, 1974 in San Antonio , Texas ) is an American politician of the Democratic Party . He has been a member of the United States House of Representatives since January 2013, representing the 20th constituency of the state of Texas.

biography

Joaquín Castro is the son of Jesse Guzman and Rosie Castro, who separated in 1983. Together with his twin brother, Julian , he grew up under difficult financial conditions at her and the grandmother Victoria, which as an orphan with elementary education from Mexico who immigrated to the United States and had worked in San Antonio as a maid, cook and babysitter. He attended Thomas Jefferson High School . He completed his studies at Stanford University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political and Communication Science , then he completed his law studies with a Juris Doctor at Harvard Law School .

In addition to serving in the Texas House of Representatives, he also served as a lawyer in San Antonio. He is also visiting professor of law at St. Mary's University and Trinity University in San Antonio.

He has been married to Anna Flores since 2013, who works for a high-tech company in San Antonio. You have a daughter.

Public life

Castro's interest in political work and work for the community was aroused very early on because his parents were politically active. His father was a community activist and retired math teacher in the 1970s and his mother was a political activist who played an important role as an activist in the civil rights movement for Latinos ( Chicano movement ) in the 1960s and 1970s, twice for civil rights Was detained in disobedience. Both twin brothers decided together during their studies to go into politics and have been planning their career paths together ever since. They represent more centrist positions and, according to observers, have a pragmatic, cautious political style. His brother Julian was US Secretary of Housing in the Obama cabinet . At the 2012 Democratic Congress , Joaquín Castro introduced his brother, who was the then Mayor of San Antonio to give the keynote .

Castro was elected to the Texas House of Representatives at the age of 28 in 2002 and served for five terms through 2012. He was vice chairman of the Committee on Higher Education. He has worked in public education, health and the juvenile justice system. He has written and worked on, among other things, workforce development legislation, highway safety, and educational programs aimed at reducing teenage pregnancies .

Castro announced in June 2011 that it was running for a seat in Congress . First he planned to run for the new 35th Congressional Constituency of Texas. But after the 20th district MP Charlie Gonzalez had announced his resignation on November 28, 2011 , Castro decided to run for this congressional constituency, which mainly includes downtown San Antonio. In the constituency, about 64 percent are Latinos and about 55 percent of voters are registered as Democrats (2012 data). In November 2012, Castro won the election against Republican David Rosa with 64 to 33 percent of the vote and took office in Washington, DC on January 3, 2013. After three re-elections in 2014, 2016 and 2018, he can still hold office today. His new legislative period runs until January 3, 2021 with the option of a further candidacy in 2020. He is a member of the important secret service committee . After much deliberation and despite favorable polls, Castro declined in May 2017 to challenge US Senator Ted Cruz in the 2018 election .

Since the beginning of his congressional mandate, Joaquín Castro has appeared frequently on political television programs, where he was considered an important spokesman for President Obama on immigration and economic issues. He is working on broadening the party base of the Democrats in traditionally republican Texas, which is considered a possible future blue state due to the changed demographic composition .

Castro is a board member of several non-profit organizations and institutions for higher education, for example "Achieving the Dream", "The National College Advising Corps", "St. Phillip's College President's Advisory Board "," St. Mary's University Mission ”and in the“ NALEO Taskforce on Education ”.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Andy Kroll: The Power of Two: Inside the Rise of the Castro Brothers. In: The Atlantic , January 23, 2015 (English).
  2. ↑ a b c Member biography, Texas state legislature
  3. ^ A b Robert T. Garrett: With his twin brother in the spotlight, Joaquin Castro prepares for prominent role of his own . In: Dallas Morning News , September 4, 2012. Retrieved September 5, 2012. 
  4. ↑ Texas House of Representatives membership summary ( Memento from October 26, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (English).
  5. ^ Emily Ramshaw: Castro To Take On Doggett for New Congressional Seat - 2012 Congressional Election . In: Texas Tribune , June 24, 2011. Retrieved September 5, 2012. 
  6. ↑ Election 2012 Texas: Joaquin Castro Wins Congressional Race. In: Fox News , November 6, 2012 (English).
  7. ↑ CNN Election Center ( Memento from July 9, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) (English).
  8. ^ Bill Lambrecht: Castro won't seek Senate seat. In: MySanAntonio.com , May 1, 2017 (English).

Web links

Commons : Joaquin Castro  - collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Castro, Joaquin
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician
DATE OF BIRTH September 16, 1974
PLACE OF BIRTH San Antonio , Texas