Protected Obama ready to join the 2020 race

The former mayor of San Antonio, Texas, and Obama's government member, Julian Castro, are expected to launch on Saturday their bid to become the country's first Hispanic president, scheduling his announcement in a border state. at the center of the debate about immigration to the United States.

Castro, to this day, would become the most prominent Democrat who would officially participate in the 2020 race, which should include a diverse range of candidates wishing to challenge President Donald Trump.

But the 44-year-old would be among the outsiders of the political showdown that could feature heavyweights such as former vice president Joe Biden, US Senators Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Kamala Harris, and possibly to be even the billionaire businessman Michael Bloomberg.

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, a progressive Democrat, announced Friday that she would officially announce her run for president in the coming days.

Mr. Castro's strong speaking skills, his experience as Barack Obama's housing secretary and as mayor of the country's seventh city, not to mention his telegenic charisma, could help propel the Texas native. in the last row.

He would also become the third leading Latino presidential candidate in four years, after Republican Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio fought against Trump for the nomination of their party in 2016.

Castro's candidacy could also help revive the Democratic enthusiasm of Latino voters, who supported Hillary Clinton but at a lower rate than Obama.

Mr. Trump has made immigration one of the hotspots of this breed, which remains one of the most controversial issues in the country. The US government remains stuck in a partial closure, which will soon begin its fourth week, following Trump's $ 5.7 billion request for border funding.

Castro's national profile took off in 2012 when he became the first Latino to deliver a speech at the Democratic National Convention.

Four years later, he was a finalist for Clinton's vice presidential post.

Mr. Castro, a fierce critic of Trump, is a third-generation American. Last year, he stated that he probably would not be in the United States if the strict immigration policies in place were in place when Mr. Castro's grandmother would have crossed the border. while she was a little girl in 1922.

In his speech at the convention, he highlighted "an unlikely journey" that he has lived, including growing up with his twin brother Joaquin, a US Congressman. The sentence became the title of his new memoir published last month.

He kept the contents of his announcement secret, but he should largely reveal his ambitions at the White House.

"I'll tell you and I'll tell the world what I'm going to do," he said this week on MSNBC.

Mr. Castro does not yet have the national recognition of personalities, Mr. Biden, Mr. Sanders and Warren.

Dena Grayson, a Democratic strategist, said Castro was a "big guy" and a "phenomenal public speaker" likely to appeal to many Hispanic voters like California, Texas and Florida.

But standing out in an overcrowded field will be "difficult," Grayson said.