Great article in the Texas Tribune on the friendship between Elizabeth Warren and Julián Castro that began during the days of Obama administration.
[T]hose close to Castro’s campaign say the two developed a healthy working relationship when he was U.S. housing secretary under then-President Barack Obama. Warren sat on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs while Castro was at Housing and Urban Development, and he frequently worked with lawmakers overseeing HUD’s budget and programs. Over months of touring the country to court Democratic primary voters, that initial respect developed into genuine camaraderie. It was cemented, in part, by shared progressive ideals and a love for wonky policy proposals.
The article talks about how the two have openly congratulated each other’s policies and ideas during this campaign season, and talked them up. It makes sense (to a degree) for Castro as he’s in single-digits and may not even last much longer in the race. However, for Warren who’s high up in the pack and in double-digits to name-check Castro and back his plays, only helps him. It also has many wondering (and some hoping) that this might be a preview of a future ticket should Warren become the 2020 nominee.
"It's interesting to watch," Colin Strother, a Texas Democratic strategist, said of Castro and Warren. "I think that the 70-year-old crowd [of candidates] represents one thing, and the rest of the field represents another. It's going to be really important for Warren, especially when we start talking about electability and winning in November, to be able to be able to say, ‘I have a young friend. I have a Latino friend. I have a pragmatist friend.'
Some of the candidates' biggest fans have backed the duo for a potential ticket. "I know if [Warren's] campaign is fortunate enough to get to that place it will be weighing a lot of different options, but I can certainly see that as a possibility," said state Rep. Erin Zwiener, D-Dripping Springs, the first Texas elected official to endorse Warren.
"I've said multiple times I think it would be a huge mistake for the Democrats to have an all-male ticket or an all-white ticket," she said. "[Warren-Castro] has both a woman and a person of color on it. … It also offers up some geographic diversity."
Of course, there’s no knowing at this point who the nominee will be. Or who Warren will choose as her running mate if she is the one. Or if the two will remain buddies until that decision is made. But for now, it’s nice for people to witness two rival candidates on the same side *stay* on the same side.
“People like to see that. It seems like we’re pulling each other to opposite ends or we’re pulling against each other, and I think people like to see us in politics or in public life pulling together,” said Nevárez, the Eagle Pass state representative.