By Bob Ray Sanders
bobray@star-telegram.com
A rising political star in Texas, still a relative unknown to the rest of the country, is already being talked about as possibly the first Hispanic president in the United States.
And, no, I'm not talking about Ted Cruz, who last month defeated Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in a party runoff to capture the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate. His star is also getting brighter, but despite his loyal Tea Party following, Cruz is not likely to be destined for the White House.
The man who is on a path similar to the one taken by Barack Obama is San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, who proved again this month that he is a visionary, a problem solver and definitely part of the future, not only of the Democratic Party, but of this nation.
Castro and his identical twin brother, Joaquin, are 37-year-old wonders whose remarkable stories are quintessential American -- filled with struggle, hard work, promise and achievement.
They were born in San Antonio, raised by a single mother active in the La Raza movement in Texas, and both sons went on to graduate from Stanford University and Harvard Law School.
Always active on community issues, Julian Castro became mayor of San Antonio in 2009 and was re-elected in 2011 with almost 83 percent of the vote. Joaquin Castro, a state representative, recently was elected as the Democratic nominee for the redrawn congressional District 20, which many observers say he's likely to win.
Julian Castro, an Obama supporter and a co-chairman of the president's re-election campaign, has been selected to give the keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention next month, a high-profile spot that in 2004 set a little-known state senator from Illinois on the road to the White House. He will be the first Hispanic to have that role, the same one he played this summer at the state Democratic Convention in Houston.
Now, there's talk of his one day becoming president. That talk once surrounded another San Antonio mayor, Henry Cisneros, but he allowed some personal indiscretions to derail that ambition.
This current mayor of the Alamo City, the youngest from a major U.S. city, is keenly focused.
He did something this month that has caught the attention of people around the state, particularly school and city officials.
Castro persuaded his City Council to support increasing the sales tax by 1/8 percent to fund full-day prekindergarten in the San Antonio school district. The council's action sends the issue to voters for approval in November. If passed, the tax will raise about $29 million annually to fund about 4,000 youngsters in the San Antonio school district who are not now in a full-day pre-K program.
This is a politician who doesn't just
talk about education, he does something about it, starting with youngsters at the most crucial point in their early learning process.
While I'm really looking forward to seeing his Sept. 4 keynote speech in Charlotte, N.C., I'm particularly excited about seeing this young star continue to rise.
Bob Ray Sanders' column appears Sundays and Wednesdays.817-390-7775Twitter: @BobRaySanders
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