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 Clinton and the other Democrats in the November 2016 race for the
White House have pushed hard for support among Hispanics, a
fast-growing and critical voting bloc that has moved toward
Democrats in recent elections as Republicans have stymied
comprehensive immigration reform in Congress and disparaged Mexican
immigrants on the campaign trail.
"I am going to look really hard at him for anything, because that's
how good he is," Clinton said at a U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
meeting in San Antonio, Texas, when asked if Castro might be her
vice presidential pick.
Appearing with Clinton at a later "Latinos for Hillary" rally,
Castro said he has long respected her ability to appeal to people of
all backgrounds.
"Through the years she has always, always been there for us, and
today we're here for her," said Castro, who is the second member of
President Barack Obama's Cabinet to endorse Clinton along with
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
Clinton said she was "thrilled" to win the backing of Castro, a
former mayor of San Antonio. Castro's twin brother Joaquin, a U.S.
congressman, already endorsed Clinton and campaigned with her in
Nevada.
While the endorsement was not a surprise, the timing was a boost for
Clinton. It came on the heels of a strong debate performance on
Tuesday night and while Vice President Joe Biden is still pondering
a possible run for the White House.
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Clinton condemned the hardline comments about immigration that have
been prominent in the Republican presidential race, particularly by
Donald Trump, who has maintained a comfortable edge in opinion polls
among those identifying themselves as Republicans. "If you listen
to all of them, they all to a degree or so sound like him, they just
don't have the pizzazz or the hair, but they are making a lot of the
same unfortunate points in their candidacies," Clinton said.
(For more on the 2016 presidential race, see the Reuters blog,
“Tales from the Trail” (http://blogs.reuters.com/talesfromthetrail/)
(Writing by John Whitesides; Editing by Ken Wills)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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