Texas Democratic Senate nominee?
$14.6M
MAR 4, 2026Primary Election
Party selects its nominee.
Overview
Current roleFormer Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
PartyDemocratic
Political ideologyProgressive Democrat
GenderMale
LocationTexas
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BackgroundPolitician
EducationStanford University (B.A.)
Notable personal detailsJulián Castro is an American politician and lawyer from San Antonio, Texas. He served as mayor of San Antonio (2009–2014) and as the 16th U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (2014–2017) in the Obama administration. He ran for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination and ended his campaign in January 2020. He earned a B.A. from Stanford University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.
SourcesShowHide
Positions
Economy & Taxes
Supports raising taxes on the wealthy and corporations, including repealing the 2017 GOP tax law, creating an inherited-wealth tax and an annual mark-to-market wealth tax for the ultra-wealthy, and raising the capital gains rate for high earners while expanding tax credits and other supports for working families.
Healthcare
Julián Castro endorses Medicare for All and supports expanding Medicare into a universal, single-payer–style program while allowing individuals to keep or obtain supplemental private coverage.
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Immigration & Border
Supports decriminalizing unauthorized border crossings, creating pathways to citizenship for undocumented residents (including Dreamers), expanding asylum protections and refugee admissions, ending family separation and construction of the border wall, and reorganizing ICE to limit harsh enforcement. Emphasizes humanitarian reforms and regional investment (a Marshall Plan for Central America) to reduce migration pressures while reserving removal for serious criminals.
Abortion & Reproductive Rights
Supports protecting and codifying the constitutional right to abortion, expanding access to reproductive health care (including for transgender and non-binary people with reproductive capacity), and repealing the Hyde Amendment to allow public programs to cover abortion. Advocates appointing judges who will uphold Roe v. Wade and opposes restrictive state-level bans.
Climate & Energy
Supports aggressive climate action including Green New Deal–style policies, rejoining the Paris Agreement, and achieving net‑zero emissions on an accelerated timeline while phasing out fossil fuel extraction on public lands and ending fossil fuel subsidies. Proposes large federal investments in clean energy and infrastructure, a carbon fee on large polluters, and targeted transition and justice measures for affected communities and workers.
News
Julián Castro is in the news mainly because Democrats are watching Hispanic voter turnout closely ahead of the 2026 midterms, with analysts saying it could help decide control of the Senate. Recent reports say Democrats are seeing stronger turnout in Texas primaries and solid fundraising in key Senate battlegrounds, but support among Hispanic voters is still not automatically rebounding. The overall picture is that Democrats see an opening, but they still need a stronger message to turn it into gains.
John Cornyn: Paxton Threatens GOP Senate Hold
Democrats crow about fundraising in competitive Senate races
Texas Republican Sounds Alarm On Democrats Cracking ‘Red Wall’
David M. Drucker: Democrats need a better message for Hispanic voters
New updates coming soon
We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.
- Polls
- Endorsements
- Fundraising