According to The Huffington Post, President Obama has picked Mayor Julian Castro to be the new Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. If confirmed he would replace Shaun Donovan, who is reportedly being tapped to head up the Office of Management Budget, replacing Sylvia Mathews Burwell, who is leaving her position to take over as Secretary of Health and Human Services for the outgoing Kathleen Sebelius.
The most intriguing piece of this shuffle however is Julian Castro. At the age of 39, Castro is currently serving his third two-year term as mayor of San Antonio. Not only has he been a popular mayor, but he has also been seen as a rising star in the Democratic party, delivering the keynote address for President Obama in September 2012 at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.
I speculated in a previous diary that he could potentially be a Vice Presidential pick if Hillary decides to run in 2016, and a few commenters made a good argument that while he could be a good pick eventually, him simply being mayor of a large city may not be quite enough experience for him to be one heartbeat away from the Presidency.
But what about if he were also a Secretary in President Obama's cabinet?
Granted, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development isn't as sexy as Secretary of State or as flashy as Secretary of Defense, but it is still an important position. According to their website, the cabinet's mission is:
"to increase homeownership, support community development and increase access to affordable housing free from discrimination."And not only are things like homeownership and community development important to most Americans, it's also important to the Hispanic community, something that Mayor Castro could speak directly to as a Mexican American.
And if Hillary Clinton were at the top of the ticket, her experience in foreign affairs as Secretary of State could compliment perfectly with Mayor Castro's domestic experience as Mayor and HUD Secretary. And not only could Hillary help turn out the female vote, but Mayor Castro could help by turning out the Hispanic vote. Essentially, this could make 2016 a very good year for Democrats.
I expect most Republicans to be able to put two and two together and try to fight his nomination as much as possible, obviously citing Benghazi as a reason (just kidding...sort of). But if he does get confirmed as HUD Secretary, do you think he would be the front-runner for the VP slot in 2016? Sound off in the comments below.