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Julián Castro

Candidate for: Mayor of San Antonio, TX
Election Date: June 7th, 2005

FINAL RESULTS
Hardberger: 51%
Castro: 48%

Candidate Background
In 2001, at the age of 26, Julián Castro became the youngest elected councilman in San Antonio history when he won a six-way race with 62 percent of the vote. He was re-elected in 2003. Julián¹s four years on the city council have been marked by a commitment to cleaning up San Antonio¹s neighborhoods and restoring civic pride.

Julián's identical twin brother, Joaquin, is a Texas state representative. Julián and Joaquin were raised in San Antonio by their mother Rosie, a long time Latino and feminist activist and one time third party city council candidate.

In the fall of 1992, after graduating from Jefferson High School, the Castro brothers boarded an airplane for the first time and flew to college at Stanford where they had both been awarded scholarships. At Stanford they served in the student senate before graduating with honors in 1996. In the spring of 2000, after graduating from Harvard Law School, Julián and Joaquin returned home to San Antonio where they accepted jobs with Akin Gump. In 2002, after being forced to recuse himself because of conflicts of interest from several key city council debates and votes, Julián resigned from Akin Gump, forfeiting his large salary to join a smaller firm, Gonzalez Hoblit & Ferguson.

Candidacy: One City. One Destiny

While his opponents are running on flat platforms of enhancing city services, Castro's campaign speeches and commercials are grand in their vision and scope. He is committed to smart, sustainable and responsible development. He is focused on growing and retaining a knowledge-based economy while protecting and enhancing the city¹s character, quality of life, and natural environment and beauty.

Named by CNN as one of their Fab 5 in '05 political candidates to watch, Castro has been called the Barack Obama of Texas. He is part of a new generation of Latino leaders who recognize that the future of American politics is increasingly multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-lingual. And, like Obama, Castro¹s support extends far beyond the traditional ethnic power brokers.

Endorsements by both the leading environmental groups (Sierra Club and League of Conservation Voters) and the AFL-CIO Labor Council demonstrate Castro's unusual ability to build coalitions and fight for San Antonio¹s economy and environment. Last week¹s endorsements from the San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association and the Bexar County Deputy Sheriff¹s Association confirm Castro¹s commitment to public safety.

Campaign
Julián Castro has emerged as the surprising favorite in the Mayoral race. Despite getting outspent by both of his opponents, Castro won the non-partisan May 7 general election with 42% of the vote and now faces runner-up Phil Hardberger (Democrat) in a June 7 run-off election.

Castro is running a strong and energetic grassroots campaign. His television advertising is effective and well produced. He has been endorsed by several key San Antonio public figures, including former Mayor and HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros.

Funding
Castro is being beaten badly by Hardberger in fundraising. Hardberger has already raised more than $1 million for his campaign, more than 2 1/2 times as much as Castro.

Support Julián Castro for Mayor
CNM is proud to endorse Julián Castro for Mayor of San Antonio. We believe that Julián represents the very best the Democratic Party has to offer. He has proven himself to be a skilled City Councilor, a talented campaigner, and a thoughtful and passionate champion for San Antonio. We encourage you to give him your support.