Castro says DNC should have put more Latino speakers on stage from beginning

Former Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julián Castro said Tuesday that the Democratic National Committee (DNC) should have initially scheduled more Latino speakers in this week’s convention, warning Latino voters could potentially move away from the party after the November election. 

“Some folks pointed out that last week, out of the 35 primetime speakers, the DNC only had three Latinos in it and no Native Americans, no Muslim Americans,” Castro, a former presidential hopeful, told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.

The DNC highlighted prominent Republicans and former Trump administration officials who have thrown their support behind Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in the first two nights of the convention. 

Last week, Castro senior adviser Sawyer Hackett noted on Twitter that “there are as many Republicans speaking at the convention as Latinos.”

But over the weekend, the DNC added participants to its schedule, including actress and activist Eva Longoria, Castro said.  

“I think there’s room for improvement in terms of the showcasing of Latino talent at the DNC, but we should make no mistake that in Joe Biden and in Kamala Harris we have two fantastic people who have a strong track record with the Latino community,” @JulianCastro says. pic.twitter.com/cHg16t4Oqt

— The Situation Room (@CNNSitRoom) August 18, 2020

Castro added that the DNC’s initial schedule was “disappointing” because “Democrats built up this beautiful coalition over the last several years that has helped power in several victories, including massive wins in Congress and in states across this county in 2018 and we need that to defeat Donald Trump in November.”

The former HUD secretary said Tuesday that he is confident that Latinos will support Biden and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), in the November election, but Democrats should be worried about what comes after that. 

“If we win in November, what we really want to do is cement a strong relationship between one of the fastest growing communities in the United States and Democrats because not every politician is as off the rails as Donald Trump,” Castro said Tuesday. “Not every Republican is as disliked by Latinos as Donald Trump.”