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Joaquin Castro
| Joaquin Castro | ||
 | ||
| U.S. House, Texas, District 20 | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| January 3, 2013-Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| January 3, 2015 | ||
| Years in position | 0 | |
| Party | Democratic | |
| Predecessor | Charles Gonzalez (D) | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $174,000/year | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| First elected | November 6, 2012 | |
| Next election | November 4, 2014 | |
| Campaign $ | $1,494,023 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Prior offices | ||
| Texas House of Representatives | ||
| 2003-2013 | ||
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | Stanford University | |
| J.D. | Harvard Law School | |
| Personal | ||
| Profession | Attorney/Professor | |
| Net worth | $132,500 | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
| Campaign website | ||
Contents |
Castro formerly served in the Texas House of Representatives, representing district 125 from 2003-2013.
Biography
Castro is an attorney and visiting professor at Saint Mary's University School of Law. He earned his JD from Harvard Law School, and BA from Stanford University.[2]
Career
- 2000-present: Practicing lawyer[3]
- 2002-2012: Texas House of Representatives[3]
- 2013-present: U.S. House of Representatives from Texas
Committee assignments
U.S. House
2013-2014
Castro serves on the following committees:[4]
- Committee on Foreign Affairs
- Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade
- Committee on Armed Services
- Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces
- Subcommittee on Intelligence, Emerging Threats and Capabilities
Texas House
2011-2012
Joaquin Castro served on the following Texas House of Representatives committees:
2009-2010
Sponsored legislation
- HB 741 - Relating to health education curriculum and instruction in public schools.
- HB 1689 - Relating to the creation of additional judicial districts in Bexar County.
- HB 2385 - Relating to the punishment for the offense of prohibited sexual conduct.
- HB 2754 - Relating to a central database containing information about certain offenders who have committed offenses involving family or dating violence.[5]
Elections
2012
Representative Castro announced on June 24, 2011 that he would run for US Congress in 2012, challenging incumbent Democrat Lloyd Doggett "in a redrawn district that stretches from Austin to San Antonio."[6] Doggett's District 25 was redrawn in the 2011 redistricting cycle, opening up opportunities for political challengers. Commenting on his decision to run Castro said "The closer I look at this district, the more I began to realize the incredible potential that it has. This would be among the few congressional districts in the nation that connects two major American cities, within the top 15 of the nation."[6] Castro had the following to say about his opponent: "I respect Congressman Doggett. I respect his long years of service. I think that I would be a strong new voice for the people for San Antonio and Austin, and the communities in between."[6]
Castro ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House, representing Texas' 20th District. He ran unopposed in the May 29, 2012, Democratic primary. He defeated David Rosa (R), A.E. Potts (L), and Antonio Diaz (G) in the November 6, 2012, general election.[7][8]
| U.S. House, Texas, District 20 General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Joaquin Castro |
63.9% | 119,032 | |
| Republican | David Rosa | 33.5% | 62,376 | |
| Libertarian | A.E. Potts | 1.7% | 3,143 | |
| Green | Antonio Diaz | 0.9% | 1,626 | |
| Total Votes | 186,177 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
2010
Castro won re-election in District 125. He was unopposed in the March 2 Democratic primary and defeated Libertarian Jeffrey Blunt in the November 2 general election.[9]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 125 2010 General election results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Joaquin Castro (D)
|
16,590 | 78.49% | ||
| Jeffrey Blunt (L) | 4,545 | 21.5% | ||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Castro won re-election to the Texas House of Representatives from the 125th District, receiving 36,003 votes without opposition.[10] He raised $100,536 for his campaign.[11]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 125 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Joaquin Castro (D)
|
36,003 | 100.00% | ||
Campaign donors
Comprehensive donor information for Castro is available dating back to 2012. Based on available campaign finance records, Castro raised a total of $1,494,023 during that time period. This information was last updated on March 25, 2013.[12]
| Joaquin Castro's Campaign Contribution History | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Result | Contributions | |
| 2012 | US House (Texas, District 20) |  |
$1,494,023 | |
| Grand Total Raised | $1,494,023 | |||
2012
Castro won election to the U.S. House in 2012. During that election cycle, Castro's campaign committee raised a total of $1,494,023 and spent $1,346,968.[13]
| U.S. House of Representatives, Texas' 20th Congressional District, 2012 - Joaquin Castro Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $1,494,023 |
| Total Spent | $1,346,968 |
| Total Raised by Election Runner-up | $54,402 |
| Total Spent by Election Runner-up | $57,952 |
| Top contributors to Joaquin Castro's campaign committee | |
| Blue Cross/Blue Shield | $18,500 |
| Communications Workers of America | $15,000 |
| Escamilla, Poneck & Cruz | $15,000 |
| NuStar Energy | $15,000 |
| Zachry Construction | $11,000 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $153,187 |
| Real Estate | $80,916 |
| Oil & Gas | $64,550 |
| Health Professionals | $57,949 |
| Building Trade Unions | $43,500 |
2010
Castro raised a total of $120,245 in 2010. Below are Castros top 5 campaign contributors in the 2010 election:[14]
| Contributor | 2010 total |
|---|---|
| Valero Energy | $3,500 |
| International Bank of Commerce | $2,500 |
| Cedillo, Ricardo | $2,500 |
| Watts, Mikal | $2,500 |
| Wallae, John | $2,500 |
| Texas Association of Realtors | $2,500 |
2008
Castro raised $100,536. His top 5 campaign contributors are listed below.[15]
| Contributor | 2008 total |
|---|---|
| Contender Consulting & Rene Barrientos | $8,300 |
| San Antonio Fire Fighers | $3,500 |
| Joe V Lamantia III | $3,500 |
| Texas Assoc of Realtors | $3,000 |
| San Antonio Police Officers PAC | $2,500 |
Analysis
Lifetime voting record
According to the website GovTrack, Castro missed 0 of 89 roll call votes from January 2013 to March 2013. This amounts to 0.0%, which is better than the median of 2.2% among current congressional representatives as of March 2013.[16]
Net worth
2011
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Castro's net worth as of 2011 was estimated between $-19,997 to $284,998. That averages to $132,500, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic House members in 2011 of $5,107,874.[17]
Scorecards
Empower Texans Fiscal Responsibility Index
Empower Texans produces the Fiscal Responsibility Index as "a measurement of how lawmakers perform on size and role of government issues." The index uses "exemplar votes on core budget and free enterprise issues that demonstrate legislators' governing philosophy."[18] Legislators are graded along a standard grading scale, receiving grades A through F based on their performance during the legislative session.
2011
Joaquin Castro received a grade of F on the 2011 Fiscal Responsibility Index.
External links
- U.S. House website
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Summary, biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Congressional profile and news at Roll Call
- Congressional profile at GovTrack.us
- Congressional profile at OpenCongress.org
- Congressional profile at CongressMerge.com
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Legislation at Congress.gov
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
- Campaign contributions at Follow The Money
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Collected news and commentary at The Washington Post
- Profile at Facebook
- Profile at Wikipedia
- Freedom Speaks profile
- Texas State Directory profile
- Texas Political Almanac HD 125 page
- Texas Tribune profile
- Vote-TX.org profile
- Mexican American Legislative Caucus profile
References
- ↑ Politico "2012 Election Map, Texas"
- ↑ Project Vote Smart - Rep. Castro
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 National Journal "Texas, 20th House District: Joaquín Castro (D)," November 7, 2012
- ↑ CQ.com, House Committee Rosters for the 113th Congress
- ↑ Texas Legislature - Bills Authored/Joint Authored by Rep. Castro
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Times Union, "Texas state Rep. Castro to run for US Congress", June 24, 2011
- ↑ Democratic candidate list
- ↑ Unofficial Democratic primary results
- ↑ Official Texas Election Results
- ↑ Texas House official election results for 2008
- ↑ District 125 Texas House candidate funds, 2008
- ↑ Open Secrets "Career Fundraising for Joaquin Castro," Accessed March 25, 2013
- ↑ Open Secrets "Joaquin Castro 2012 Election Cycle," Accessed March 5, 2013
- ↑ Follow the Money - 2010 Campaign contributions
- ↑ Follow the Money - 2008 Campaign contributions
- ↑ GovTrack, "Joaquin Castro," Accessed April 2, 2013
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org "Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), 2011," accessed February 25, 2013
- ↑ Empower Texans, "Fiscal Responsibility Index"
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Charles Gonzalez |
U.S. House of Representatives - Texas District 20 2013-present |
Succeeded by ' |
| Preceded by ' |
Texas House District 125 2003–2013 |
Succeeded by ' |
 |
State of Texas Austin (capital) |
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- Texas House of Representatives
- Former member, Texas House of Representatives
- 2010 unopposed
- Texas
- 2010 candidate
- House of Representatives candidate, 2010
- Democratic Party
- 2010 incumbent
- 2010 winner
- 113th Congress
- Current member, U.S. House
- U.S. House, Texas
- State House incumbent retired, 2012
- State House running for U.S. House, 2012
- 2012 challenger
- U.S. House candidate, 2012
- 2012 primary (winner)
- 2012 general election (winner)
