Julian Castro

“Oh, when I was mayor of San Antonio, I pushed for expanding high-quality, full-day pre-K. We didn't have the resources to make it universal, but you could clearly see that that was what I wanted to do.”

“I wanted to be a quarterback. I used to like Johnny Unitas, the old quarterback for the Colts.”

“Got a call on April 16, 2014 from President Barack Obama - I remember the date because it's not every day that the president calls you and asks you if you want a job.”

“I'm a recovering politician.”

“If the choice is between universal health care or fixing our broken immigration system or upholding a 60-vote filibuster rule that is nowhere in the Constitution, I'm going to choose actually making progress for the American people.”

“I believe that Secretary Clinton has said, has acknowledged, that that was not the best way to handle her emails back then... and has turned over all of the information and the emails and documents and now the server.”

“Now, in Texas, we believe in the rugged individual. Texas may be the one place where people actually still have bootstraps, and we expect folks to pull themselves up by them. But we also recognize there are some things we can't do alone. We have to come together and invest in opportunity today for prosperity tomorrow.”

“My grandmother spent her whole life working as a maid, a cook and a babysitter, barely scraping by, but still working hard to give my mother, her only child, a chance in life, so that my mother could give my brother and me an even better one.”

“In the end, the American dream is not a sprint, or even a marathon, but a relay. Our families don't always cross the finish line in the span of one generation. But each generation passes on to the next the fruits of their labor.”

“I grew up Catholic. The Catholic faith has played an integral role in my life. At the same time, I don't think that there is a single person that doesn't have some disagreements with their faith.”

“People are getting more active and living healthier in San Antonio, whether it's walking, cycling, or using our parks. We now have concrete evidence that our investments are paying off and positively impacting the health of our families and the overall quality of life in San Antonio.”

“The No. 1 thing I want a voter to think about when they see my name, or hear my name, is what I stand for, and what I want to do for them and their family while elected.”

“I had the blessing of opportunity. You need the folks in the boardroom who have consciences and the people in the streets who can picket at the right time.”

“There has been a great challenge in improving educational achievement. It's a long-term issue, not a short-term one. It includes everything from getting more parents involved to addressing issues of poverty and improving what happens in the classroom.”

“I have learned in life that the best thing you can do to create a great future for yourself is don't forget what's in front of you. And so I'm trying to do a great job at HUD.”

“Republicans are so far out to the right, it's pushing people into the Democratic Party.”

“It's time to remove the stigma associated with promoting homeownership.”

“And my mother fought hard for civil rights so that instead of a mop, I could hold this microphone.”

“I stand before you tonight as a young American, a proud American, of a generation born as the Cold War receded, shaped by the tragedy of 9/11, connected by the digital revolution and determined to re-elect the man who will make the 21st century another American century - President Barack Obama.”

“First thing that I put up in my office here at City Hall was a poster from 1971 when my mother ran for city council.”