Julián Castro presidential campaign staff, 2020
Date: November 3, 2020 |
 Donald Trump Joe Biden Howie Hawkins Jo Jorgensen
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Last updated July 29, 2019.
This page contains a select list of Julián Castro's national campaign staff and primary state directors. Staff are presented alongside their positions in the campaign, their most recent positions prior to the campaign, and their Twitter handles.
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Know of any staff we missed? Please email us at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Visit Presidential election key staffers, 2020, to see our coverage of staff on other campaigns.
Here are links to the candidates' staff pages:
- Donald Trump (R)
- Joe Biden (D)
- Jo Jorgensen (L)
- Howie Hawkins (G)
Campaign staff in context
Campaign staff plays an important role in the presidential primaries. The makeup of a candidate's staff can signal the strength of their support from influential party activists and whether they are aligning with a particular faction or group within the party. Eric Appleman of Democracy in Action describes candidates' efforts to hire staffers as a "race for talent, both nationally and in key early states." He adds, "The goal is to assemble a team of top talent that can work together effectively to mobilize resources, boost the candidate and his or her message, and ultimately secure the party's nomination."[1]
Presidential candidates will typically have a national staff, which is overseen by a campaign manager and assisted by political consultants, senior advisors, professional polling firms, and key stakeholders such as interest group leaders and major financial supporters. They also build organizations in individual states that are overseen by state directors and staffed by party activists and political professionals well-versed in the particular politics of the area. Candidates often appoint elected officials and other important figures in their party's coalition as chairs of their national campaign and state-level campaigns.[1]
Castro campaign overview
Julián Castro was a Democratic candidate for president of the United States. He announced his candidacy on January 12, 2019. He suspended his presidential campaign on January 2, 2020.[2]
During his announcement speech, Castro emphasized education, saying that he achieved universal pre-kindergarten as mayor of San Antonio and would do the same nationally. He has also promoted Medicare for All and housing affordability on the campaign trail.[3]
Castro served as U.S. secretary of housing and urban development from 2014 to 2017.[4]
National staff
The table below shows a sampling of the candidate's 2020 national campaign staff members, including the campaign manager and some senior advisors, political directors, communication directors, and field directors. It also includes each staff member's position in the campaign, previous work experience, and Twitter handle, where available.[5] For a larger list of national campaign staff, visit Democracy in Action.
| Julián Castro presidential campaign national staff, 2020 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Staff | Position | Prior experience | Twitter handle |
| Maya Rupert | Campaign manager | Executive director, Opportunity First PAC | @MayaRupert |
| Natalie Montelongo | Political director | National campaign strategist for immigrant rights, American Civil Liberties Union | @natimontelongo |
| Matthew Jones | Senior political advisor | Aide to Castro | N/A |
| Lillie Catlin | Organizing director | Deputy organizing director, American Civil Liberties Union | @lilliecatlin |
| Sawyer Hackett | National press secretary | Communications director, office of Rep. David Price | @SawyerHackett |
| Jennifer Fiore | Senior advisor for communications and digital | Senior advisor for communications and digital, Opportunity First PAC | @jennifer_fiore |
| Joseph Czajkowski | National finance director | Finance director, Arizona Democratic Party | @joeycz |
State staff
The table below shows the candidate's 2020 early primary state directors and state communications directors. It also includes each staff member's position in the campaign, previous work experience, and Twitter handle, where available.[5] For a larger list of state campaign staff, visit Democracy in Action.
| Julián Castro presidential campaign staff, 2020 (Iowa) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Staff | State | Position | Prior experience | Twitter handle |
| Cynthia Sebian-Lander | Iowa | State director | Campaign manager, Deidre DeJear for Iowa Secretary of State, 2018 | @crslsynth |
| Manny Espitia | New Hampshire | State director | New Hampshire state representative | @mannyfornh |
| Christina Cue | South Carolina | State director | CEO, OnCue Management Group | @oncue0921 |
| Kristian Carranza | Nevada | State director | Digital consultant, Do Big Things | @kirstian_wit@ |
Castro in the news
- See also: Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing and Editorial approach to story selection for the Daily Presidential News Briefing
This section featured five news stories about Castro and his presidential campaign. For a complete timeline of Castro's campaign activity, click here.
- January 2, 2020: Castro ended his presidential campaign. “I’m so proud of the campaign we’ve run together,” Castro said in a video statement. “We’ve shaped the conversation on so many important issues in this race, stood up for the most vulnerable people and given a voice to those who are often forgotten.”
- December 24, 2019: Castro spent the holidays with his family in Texas.
- December 20, 2019: Castro made five campaign stops in Seattle, including speaking with immigration advocates at the headquarters of OneAmerica.
- December 19, 2019: Castro aired an ad during the debate criticizing Iowa and New Hampshire’s early primary placement.
- December 19, 2019: Castro tweeted about the debate topics.
See also
- Presidential election key staffers, 2020
- Presidential candidates, 2020
- Democratic presidential nomination, 2020
- Republican presidential nomination, 2020
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Democracy in Action, "Building Campaign Organizations (2019)," accessed May 10, 2019
- ↑ CNBC, "Julian Castro drops out of 2020 Democratic primary race," January 2, 2020
- ↑ KUT 90.5, "Here's What Julián Castro Promises To Do As President," January 14, 2019
- ↑ Biography, "Julián Castro," accessed February 26, 2019
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Democracy in Action, "Organization," accessed November 4, 2019
