Julian Castro joins NBC and MSNBC as political analyst

Julián Castro, who is a former secretary of Housing and Urban Development and served as mayor of San Antonio, has joined NBC News and MSNBC as a political analyst. 

Castro’s hiring was announced on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Monday. 

After serving in former President Obama’s Cabinet from 2014 to 2017, he ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020. 

Castro criticized the Democratic National Committee (DNC) last year, saying it should have initially scheduled more Latino speakers at the party’s convention, saying a lack of diversity at the event could turn Latino voters away. 

“Some folks pointed out that last week, out of the 35 prime-time speakers, the DNC only had three Latinos in it and no Native Americans, no Muslim Americans,” Castro said at the time. “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.”

Since bowing out of the 2020 Democratic primary, Castro has appeared as a guest on a number of MSNBC talk shows during daytime and prime-time programming. 

In November, he announced a relaunch of an initiative to raise money for young immigrants by selling “Adiós Trump!” shirts. 

“Joe and Kamala have defeated Donald Trump!” Castro tweeted the day President Biden was projected as the winner of the 2020 presidential contest. “Since so many of you asked…We’re re-launching our ‘Adiós Trump’ T-shirt to help you celebrate this historic moment in style!”

Castro’s brother, Joaquin Castro, currently serves as a congressman representing Texas’s 20th District.