Castro, the former mayor of San Antonio, had been considering a bid for nearly two years and announced a presidential exploratory committee in December. Castro, in an interview with CNN ahead of his official presidential announcement, acknowledged that he will enter the race looking up at the cadre of other Democrats considering running for the party's nomination. Castro and his team have signaled in the lead up to Saturday's announcement that he will lean into his Mexican-American heritage in a presidential run. Alma Palacios, a Mexican immigrant, decided to name her son Julián after the city's former mayor and now presidential candidate. The Republican National Committee slammed Castro's announcement, calling him "another delusional Democrat."

Source: CNN January 12, 2019 13:07 UTC