Julian Castro disavows PAC money ahead of presidential campaign announcement, joining Elizabeth Warren
- Ahead of a potential presidential campaign announcement, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro visited voters in Iowa, where he talked about border policy and universal healthcare.
- During his visit, Castro said he will disavow PAC money if he runs for president.
- Castro plans to reveal whether he plans on running for president on Saturday in San Antonio, his hometown.
In just a few days, America will know if former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro will run for president.
If he does, he has promised to disavow money from political action committees.
"The people are more powerful than the PAC," Castro said Wednesday, according to NBC. The Texas native's promise echoes that of another 2020 hopeful, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who will also not accept PAC funds.
Castro's comments came during a visit to Iowa, where he met with voters. The former secretary challenged other potential 2020 candidates to do the same as him and Warren.
According to NBC, Castro spoke to anxious Democratic voters in a cozy living room in Coralville, Iowa. He pitched to them a series of progressive promises he hopes to meet if he were to become president, including a push for universal healthcare and a so-called Green New Deal.
Castro plans on announcing Saturday whether he will run for the White House.
"Starting on Saturday," he said, according to NBC, he plans to "be talking about my vision for the future."
Read more: Potential 2020 Democratic hopeful Julian Castro sets New Hampshire stop
Castro, who was thrown into the national spotlight during the 2016 campaign as a rumoured running mate for Hillary Clinton, has not been mysterious about his plan to run for president. In fact, his twin brother Joaquín already announced his intention to run during an interview with Stephen Colbert.
This week, the former secretary visited Nevada and Iowa and is planning on visiting New Hampshire on Monday. During his Iowa stop, Castro spoke about border security, which is the driving issue behind the current government shutdown.
Castro said he agrees that the US needs stronger border security, but he thinks the best way to secure the border is through investing in technology and personnel, as well as in Latin America.
"I think that the United States needs to get serious about our relationship with Latin America and form alliances there the way we did with Europe after World War II to make sure that folks can do well in their home countries so that they don't show up on the doorstep of the United States," he said.