The Clintons Might Already Be Wooing A 2016 Veep Candidate

FILE - In this Oct. 25, 2012 file photo, former President Bill Clinton, second from left, stands with fellow democrats State Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Alpine, left, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, and U.S. congressional ... FILE - In this Oct. 25, 2012 file photo, former President Bill Clinton, second from left, stands with fellow democrats State Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Alpine, left, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, and U.S. congressional hopeful Joaquin Castro, right, during a campaign rally in San Antonio. Castro was seen as the Democratic star that could eventually rise to prominence in the deep red state of Texas. But with his party still years away from capitalizing on a demographic shift that could help Democrats compete for statewide power, the San Antonio mayor has opted instead to build his political clout in Washington as part of President Barack Obama’s Cabinet. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

President Bill Clinton invited incoming Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro to dine at the Clinton’s private D.C. home last week, the Washington Post reported, making it impossible for the media to ignore the 2016 implications.

Castro, former San Antonio mayor and 2012 Democratic National Convention keynote speaker, was nominated by President Barack Obama to head HUD in May. The New York Times noted at the time that he “has often been mentioned as a potential vice-presidential candidate for the Democrats.” The move to HUD was thought to help bolster Castro’s national profile.

The veep speculation is mostly a matter of connecting the dots. Castro is a young (39) and charismatic Hispanic politician, as is his twin brother Joaquin, a freshman Texas congressman.

Now Bill Clinton is inviting Castro over for dinner so they can get to know each other better and Hillary Clinton also spoke with a close Castro friend at a private lunch in March about Castro’s political aspirations, according to the Post.

Even anonymous sources close to situation are stoking the fire.

“The Clintons are keeping the Castros very close to them,” a confidante told the Post.

Official spokespeople, of course, dismissed the 2016 conjecture.

“Secretary Castro and former president Clinton had a discussion about ways the agency can expand on the partnership with the Clinton Climate Initiative to make public housing more energy-efficient,” HUD spokeswoman Betsaida Alcantara told the Post.

“They didn’t talk about 2016,” a Clinton aide said.

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. Pick Castro and you’ll win like Reagan did.

  2. Fuck this 2016 talk, let’s at least get through the 2014 midterms first. Hillary already had one round of putting the cart before the horse, let’s not do that again

  3. Avatar for sufi66 sufi66 says:

    If she runs, her only VP choice will be Sen. Brown from Ohio.

  4. Since McCain is too old now, I’ll betting she’ll pick his little sidekick Lindsay.

  5. Avatar for mantan mantan says:

    I don’t know…I’d like to see HRC start exercising a little deftness and a tad less of Big Dog’s post presidential game, set and match eagerness over the Mrs in the Oval…A little less of the Ferguson police MRAP heavy-handedness with the tattered remnants of our political system perhaps?

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

22 more replies

Participants

Avatar for system1 Avatar for pluckyinky Avatar for jw1 Avatar for braxtonbraggart Avatar for trippin Avatar for wiscojoe Avatar for tcinla Avatar for rollinnolan Avatar for teenlaqueefa Avatar for mantan Avatar for daveyjones64 Avatar for labradog Avatar for spocksblackpants Avatar for sarenarterius Avatar for candacetx Avatar for 538liberal Avatar for ijram Avatar for sufi66 Avatar for ronbyers Avatar for bearpaw Avatar for occamsrazor2 Avatar for snarkworth Avatar for eatbees

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: