Rep. Joaquin Castro

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D Texas, 20th (2013-) In Office

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Biographical

Gender: Male
Pronunciation: wah-KEEN KAS-tro
Date of Birth: Sept. 16, 1974 (age: 49)
Place of Birth: San Antonio, Texas
Religion: Roman Catholic
Hometown: San Antonio, Texas
Place of Residence: San Antonio, Texas
Occupation: Attorney

Wikipedia

Family:

Married: Anna E. Flores, Nov. 2, 2013 in San Antonio, Texas

2 children: Andrea Elena Castro, Roman Victor Castro

Relations with people in our database:

Brother of Julián Castro

Biography:

Joaquin Castro was born in San Antonio, Texas on September 16, 1974. A second generation Mexican American, he was raised on the city’s Westside and is a proud product of the public school system. The Castro family’s history in the United States began nearly 100 years ago when his grandmother, Victoria Castro, came to Texas as a young orphan. In the spirit of the American Dream, she often worked two and three jobs at a time to be able to give her daughter (Joaquin’s mother, Rosie) and her grandchildren a better chance in life.

Joaquin has worked hard to seize the opportunities created by the sacrifices of his grandmother and prior generations. After finishing high school a year early, Joaquin left San Antonio to graduate with honors from Stanford University in 1996. He then went on to attend Harvard Law School where he received his Juris Doctorate degree in 2000. Upon his return to San Antonio at 28 years old, Joaquin joined a private law practice and was elected into the Texas Legislature. He served five terms as state representative for District 125. In 2012 Joaquin was elected to serve in the U.S House of Representatives as representative of Texas Congressional District 20, which covers a large portion of San Antonio and Bexar County. Joaquin’s identical twin brother, Julián Castro, was elected in 2013 to his third term as Mayor of San Antonio. On July 28, 2014, Julian Castro was sworn in as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Joaquin’s respect for public service developed at a young age and was deeply influenced by his parents’ involvement in political movements and civic causes. His father, a retired teacher, and his mother, a renowned community activist, instilled in him a deep appreciation for the democratic process and the importance of serving one’s community.

Despite a difficult political environment during his time as state legislator, Joaquin transcended partisan gridlock to help restore millions of dollars in funding to critical health care and education programs. As Vice Chairman of the Higher Education Committee and Democratic Floor Leader in the Texas House, he was also at the forefront in proposing forward-thinking legislative reforms in the areas of mental health, teen pregnancy, and juvenile justice.

Outside of the legislative chamber, Joaquin has demonstrated a strong commitment to his community. He created the Trailblazers College Tour, personally raising money to send underprivileged students on college visits, giving them exposure to some of the nation’s best institutions of higher education. He also founded SA READS, San Antonio’s largest literacy campaign and book drive. Over 200,000 books have been distributed to more than 150 schools and shelters across the city. To honor and express gratitude to San Antonio grandparents and other family members raising relatives who aren’t their children, Joaquin created the annual Families Helping Families dinner and awards. He has also taught as a visiting professor of law at St. Mary’s University and as an adjunct professor at Trinity University. Joaquin is active on several boards of education-related, non-profit organizations, including the National College Advising Corps, and the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials’ (NALEO) Taskforce on Education.

Having experienced America’s promise firsthand, Joaquin wants to help build out what he calls the Infrastructure of Opportunity so that future generations will have the same chance to pursue their American Dream. Joaquin believes that just as there is an infrastructure of transportation that helps us get to where we want to go on the road there is an Infrastructure of Opportunity that helps Americans get to where they want to go in life. It is that Infrastructure of Opportunity – great public schools and universities, a sound healthcare system, and good-paying jobs – that enables Americans to pursue their American Dream. Our centuries-long commitment to building and preserving this infrastructure is what distinguishes America among the nations of the world.

As Congressman, Joaquin continues to be a tireless advocate for those who call San Antonio home. From supporting military families to investing in education, Joaquin remains committed to helping mold an Infrastructure of Opportunity for San Antonians and Americans around the country. See more >>

Miscellaneous Links:

Ballotpedia

C-SPAN

GovTrack

Project VoteSmart

Campaign Links:

Website, campaign

Email, campaign: mail@castroforcongress.com

X (Twitter), campaign

Instagram, campaign

Open Secrets political finance profile

YouTube, campaign

Social Networking:

LinkedIn

Facebook, official

X (Twitter), official

YouTube, official

Instagram, official

Official Links:

Website, official

Press Releases

Official press releases »

Education

Harvard Law School - JD (2000)
Stanford University - BA, political science, communications (1996)
Thomas Jefferson High School (San Antonio, Texas) - Diploma (1992)

Office History

Congressional Offices:

U.S. House of Representatives (Jan. 3, 2013-) In Office

Member, 20th Congressional District of Texas

State Legislature Offices:

Texas House of Representatives (Jan. 14, 2003-2012)

D Representative, District 125

Election Results

2021 (Nov. 3, 2020 election)

20th Congressional District of Texas

Joaquin Castro, 64.67%
Democrat

Mauro Everett Garza, 33.11%
Republican

Jeffrey Blunt, 2.22%
Libertarian
2019 (Nov. 6, 2018 election)

20th Congressional District of Texas

Joaquin Castro, 81.00%
Democrat

Jeffrey C. Blunt, 19.00%
Libertarian
2017 (Nov. 8, 2016 election)

20th Congressional District of Texas

Joaquin Castro, 79.74%
Democrat

Jeffrey C. Blunt, 15.48%
Libertarian

Paul Pipkin, 4.78%
Green
2015 (Nov. 4, 2014 election)

20th Congressional District of Texas

Joaquin Castro, 75.66%
Democrat

Jeffrey C. Blunt, 24.34%
Libertarian
2013 (Nov. 6, 2012 election)

20th Congressional District of Texas

Joaquin Castro, 63.93%
Democrat

David Rosa, 33.50%
Republican

A E Tracy Potts, 1.69%
Libertarian

Employment History

St. Mary's University (Texas) School of Law

Visiting Professor

Associated Organizations

Board membership:

United States Spain Council
Honorary Co-Chair
College Advising Corps
Director
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Inc. (Dec. 2014-)
Member, Advisory Council

Own leadership PAC:

Toward Tomorrow PAC

Election campaign:

Castro for Congress (Texas)

Founder:

SA READS
Trailblazers College Tour

Awards

Spirit of Enterprise Award (U.S. Chamber of Commerce) (June 2020)

Activities and Interests

Languages: Spanish

Official Signature

Contact Information

Email, member official contact form

Office Addresses:

Main Office:

Address:	2241 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515-4320
Phone:	202-225-3236
Fax:	202-225-1915

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» District Offices

Privately Financed Travel

13 trips taken between 2013 - 2023 costing $63,957

See map of trips

Trip Destinations:

Trip Sponsors:

» see more

Personal Financial Disclosures

Disclosures as a member:

Annual: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2014 (Amendment), 2014 (Amendment), 2013
Election Candidate: 2012
Extension Letter: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2018, 2017, 2017, 2016, 2016, 2015, 2015
Gift Waiver: 2023, 2014
» see more

Congressional Staff

Staff Turnover:

Turnover Index: 0.26
(House Average: 0.25)
» See more

Staff Salary Rate:

Office Median Annual Salary: $74,077.97
» See more

Staff Salaries Paid:

» See full staffer list

» view all salaries

Committees

House Foreign Affairs Committee

House Foreign Affairs Committee Indo-Pacific Subcommittee

House Foreign Affairs Committee Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, Ranking Member

House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Central Intelligence Agency Subcommittee

House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence National Security Agency and Cyber Subcommittee

Caucuses

Caught Our Eye

Final GOP debate of 2015 dominates Congress's Twitter feeds

Posted by Nate Hoffman on Dec. 16, 2015
Not only is he the front runner in the polls, Donald Trump leads the number of Twitter mentions from Hill staffers and members after last night's debate but Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is coming on strong. read more
Capitol Hill loses another staffer to Uber

Posted by Jenna Ebersole on Oct. 30, 2014
As Uber Technologies Inc. surges into cities across the globe - sometimes igniting protests from taxi drivers - the app-based ridesharing service continues to poach from Capitol Hill and other high-powered political positions. read more

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