Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro sees an improving outlook for Texas Democrats, but he’s not ready to say what his future political role might be.

Appearing on NPR’s “Diane Rehm Show” on Monday, Castro insisted that he’s concentrating on his Cabinet role. But the former mayor said it would be disingenuous to claim that he’s not interested in another elected office.

Castro, a contender for the Democrats’ 2016 vice presidential nomination, was responding to a caller who asked whether he would consider returning to his home state to run for governor.

He said he was flattered by the suggestion, “but right now I’m focused on doing my work at HUD. I’m not thinking about running for anything in the near future. I can’t say that I never would — I’d be lying to you if I said that.”

Castro agreed with the caller’s premise that conditions are improving for a Democratic rebound in Texas after two decades of GOP domination.

“I do believe Texas, like a handful of other states, is trending in the direction of the Democratic Party,” as are North Carolina, Colorado and Virginia, he said.

But because of it being larger in size than those states, Texas is “going to take a longer amount of time” to recapture statewide offices, Castro predicted. One encouraging trend, he said, is that Texas is attracting new residents “from states that are more moderate — or even liberal or progressive — into Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio.”

Democrats have another factor working in their favor, Castro said. In their long hold on Texas statewide offices, Republicans have developed “a decent amount of hubris,” Castro said.

“The time is coming … in a few years when you will see a Democratic Texas,” Castro said.

Most of the HUD secretary’s comments and called-in questions dealt with home ownership and public housing initiatives, but on a personal note, he also said he remains close to his twin brother, two-term U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio.

Both are adjusting to the nation’s capital while tethered to their Alamo City roots.

“My wife and my family and I have been up here a year. I don’t see him (Joaquin) nearly as much as I thought I would,” the HUD secretary said.

“My standing joke is, I’m the Castro with the real job in Washington, D.C. They (Congress) are only in session about 100 days a year,” he said.

jgonzalez@express-news.net

Twitter: @johnwgonzalez