Julian Castro

“The only part of my mother's experience that still gets to me is the way she and people like her were looked down upon for asking America to be America, for asking for full and equal participation in our democracy.”

“You know, I'm speaking for myself. I didn't like to have to speak filtering for what I thought somebody else would or wouldn't want me to say.”

“As my family story shows, Latinos have been a blessing for USA for many generations. The future of America depends in part on the success of the Latino community, and this opportunity is just one more signifier of that.”

“I do believe that being in public office is all about making choices. And if I'm president, I would steer this nation in a direction where we embrace progressive values.”

“To me, as I see it, reparations would be something that is fairly specific to the descendants of slaves, and it would also be an official apology from the United States government for slavery.”

“My grandmother, when she was young, would've walked past shops where some folks had out a sign that said, 'No Mexicans or dogs allowed.'”

“The number one way that we can address these long-term challenges of poverty, of education, is to invest in early childhood education.”

“San Antonio is an ideal market for Major League Soccer. It's time that we put our best foot forward.”

“I do think we need to hold countries accountable who violate trade agreements that are already in place. We need to get stronger about enforcement, that in the future if we strike a trade agreement, toughening up labor standards and environmental standards and enforcement standards is something we absolutely need to do.”

“My People First Education plan includes universal pre-K for 3- and 4-year-olds, because the research is very clear that if you have a dollar to spend in education, it's best spent early on with high-quality pre-K so that kids can get off to a strong start.”

“My family's story isn't special. What's special is the America that makes our story possible. Ours is a nation like no other, a place where great journeys can be made in a single generation. No matter who you are or where you come from, the path is always forward.”

“And because he knows that we don't have an ounce of talent to waste, the president took action to lift the shadow of deportation from a generation of young, law-abiding immigrants called dreamers.”

“What we see out there is an affordable housing crisis, particularly in the rental market in cities big and small, and we don't have the resources necessary to fill that gap.”

“We have a responsibility to protect public housing residents from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke, especially the elderly and children who suffer from asthma and other respiratory diseases.”

“This thing has been studied to death by Republicans and Democrats: several committees, including in Congress, that have all said, 'Yes, of course what happened was tragic, but Secretary Clinton was not in any way at fault,' and what you have here with these e-mails is basically a witch hunt.”

“Technology has transformed how we live, learn and work, but not everyone has been able to participate in these developments.”

“When it comes to letting people marry whomever they love, Mitt Romney says, 'No.'”

“I see myself as a bridge-builder who can understand both sides.”

“But one of the most enjoyable things for me is that running for office gives you this license to enter the world of somebody else and to hear about the dreams that they have for themselves, for their family, for the country.”

“I don't believe we need to choose between addressing economic issues and addressing issues of social or racial justice.”