Julián Castro returns to Iowa not as a presidential candidate, but as an Elizabeth Warren backer

MARSHALLTOWN, Ia. — In his first visit to Iowa since endorsing U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren's presidential run, Julián Castro praised the senator's inclusion of the Latino community in her plans for moving the country forward.

"Her vision for the future of this country is a vision where Latinos can absolutely prosper," Castro told the Des Moines Register in an exclusive interview Sunday. "And I'm proud of that."

In their first sit-down interview together, the pair touted one another's visions for a more inclusive America — something Castro thinks will be the key to Warren's win on caucus night and beyond. The latest Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa Poll has Warren in second place among the Democratic presidential candidates, though she is viewed favorably by 70% of likely Democratic caucusgoers, the highest rating among the 14 candidates tested.

Castro, the former secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Barack Obama, endorsed the senator on Jan. 6, just four days after dropping out of the presidential race. In the week since, Castro has been on the campaign trail in support for Warren, saying she's the "unity candidate" who can bring the Democratic Party together and advocate for real change.

Sunday marked the one-year anniversary of the launch of his presidential campaign. In that time, he said he's followed Warren and paid close attention to her plans, particularly on health care, education and growing the economy.

"And I could also see very clearly that she was resonating. And that meant a lot," Castro said. "It's also true that I think our vision for the future of the country matches up very well. So I'm going to do what I can to make sure that people understand her message and get out to caucus on Feb. 3."

Castro introduced the senator from Massachusetts at a town hall Sunday, in front of an estimated 400 people and one of the more fired-up crowds she's had in Iowa.

Warren told the Register that Castro is a "good man" and is grateful for his support. She said she is grateful for the vision he shared with the country and believes "America is a better place because he made the decision to run for president."

"When he dropped out and made the decision not just to kinda step back and wait until the whole primary was over ... but instead to keep fighting for the people that he cares for, then I realized the two of us together are stronger than either one of us alone," Warren said.

More: Latino Iowans are playing a bigger role in the caucuses — and Democrats are paying attention

Steve Villatoro, chair of the Iowa Democratic Party's Latino Caucus, said Castro's endorsement paves the way for the community to give Warren "a second look." Though she's taken up parts of his immigration plan, Villatoro hopes candidates will make a more concerted effort to talk about immigration reform, specifically on national debate stages.

Latinos now make up about 6.2% of Iowa’s population, a figure that's projected to roughly double by 2050, according to a State Data Center of Iowa report.

In Marshall County, where Marshalltown is located, 22.4% of the population identified as Latino in 2018. It is the county with the state's second-largest concentration of Latino Iowans.

Castro was the first Democratic presidential candidate to propose a comprehensive immigration policy this cycle. Warren quickly joined Castro's call in repealing Section 1325, a key part of his immigration plan. Repealing that section would make unauthorized border crossings a civil penalty instead of a misdemeanor crime.

The two Democrats also agree on the need for more affordable housing in America, universal child care and raise the wages of child care workers. Further, Warren recently released a disability plan, praised by advocates as the most comprehensive in the field. To build hers, Warren said she leaned on Castro, among others, and his plan released just months before.

All of those plans together, as well as a Warren staff that "reflects different communities in the country," will help her go a long way in courting the Latino vote, Castro said.

"She's listening, that's the most important thing," he said. "On top of that, the policy plans that Sen. Warren has laid out are fantastic."

The senator from Massachusetts is known for adopting plans from her formal rivals — and crediting them for their work. She's taken up Gov. Jay Inslee's work on climate change, U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris' plan on abortion and U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's ideas on family leave.

"I’m in this race because I actually want to see us make change as a country," Warren said. " ... And when there are good ideas, boy, I don’t care who came up with them. Let’s scoop 'em in and use them.

"I think that's how it 'ought to be. This is how we get better."

Castro is known, perhaps famously, for criticizing Iowa's place in the nominating process, arguing the predominately white state is not the best representation of Democratic voters. On Sunday, Warren said Castro "raises important concerns," but the process is not just about one state alone.

"No primary process is perfect," she said. "I'm glad that right now we're gonna be in four different states in the first four weeks of the primary process that raise a whole set of different issues. And I think that’s important."

Castro is joined by four Warren surrogates in Iowa this weekend in the lead-up to Tuesday's debate: Her husband, Bruce Mann, U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, D-California, Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson, and members of the organizing collective Black Womxn For.

In addition to Sunday's town hall, Castro is hosting a canvass kick-off in Clive, a meet and greet in Indianola and a pre-debate meeting with Warren supporters on Tuesday.

Kim Norvell covers growth and development for the Register. Reach her at knorvell@dmreg.com or 515-284-8259.

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