Julian Castro predicts Arizona will ‘go blue’ for Senate, presidential election

Former Obama Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro on Wednesday predicted Democrats would have “at least one” Senate seat in Arizona by 2020 and the state would vote blue in the next presidential election.

In noting the Democratic candidate’s closer-than-expected loss in a special election Tuesday night, Castro tweeted that Democrats had a new “blueprint” for taking control in traditionally deep-red states like Arizona. President Trump won the state by 3.5 points in 2016 and the state last went blue in a presidential election for President Clinton in 1996.

{mosads}

“Arizona will have at least one Democratic senator and probably a Democratic governor next January. Will go blue in the 2020 election. #anewblueprint,” he tweeted.

Arizona will have at least one Democratic senator and probably a Democratic governor next January. Will go blue in the 2020 election. #anewblueprint

— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) April 24, 2018

Republican Debbie Lesko was projected to win Arizona’s nationally watched special election, fending off a strong challenge from Democrats in a district that President Trump won by 21 points in 2016.

One of Arizona’s Senate seats, currently held by retiring Sen. Jeff Flake (R), will be open in November. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) holds the other Senate seat and despite battling cancer has announced no plans to retire.

Castro, who served as the secretary for Housing and Urban Development under the Obama administration, is thought to be testing the waters for a possible 2020 presidential run himself.

NBC News reported in February that Castro was headlining an event for New Hampshire’s Young Democrats chapter, an event in an important primary state that could signal future ambitions for the 43-year-old seen as one of the younger stars of the party.

His brother, Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro (D), was being actively recruited last year by Democrats to run for governor of Texas, an effort reported by Politico to be frustrated by Julian Castro’s possible presidential leanings.

Joaquin Castro instead announced he would seek reelection in the fall, and faces a Republican challenger, former Rep. Francisco “Quico” Canseco (R-Texas).