Former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro recalls experience being vetted as potential VP

With Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris expected to make her running-mate pick as early as Tuesday, former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro took to social media to speak candidly about his involvement in the vice presidential vetting process for 2016.

"It's a grind of a process" Castro tweeted Monday. "Candidates had to answer a 150+ question background questionnaire that delved into political, employment, legal, financial and personal family history."

In June 2016, Hillary Clinton's campaign contacted Castro to ask if he would be willing to participate in the VP vetting process.

I went through the VP vetting process in 2016, part of a group of potential running mates considered by Secretary Clinton. Here’s what that experience was like:

I got a call from a top Clinton campaign official in mid-June 2016, asking if I would like to participate in the VP…

— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) August 5, 2024

"Weeks before candidates were contacted, the teams had put together extensive dossiers of each person," recalled Castro, who also served as the Obama White House's housing secretary.

After the questionnaire, the vetting team of lawyers and investigators interviewed Castro for hours, he added in his social media posts.

"They were direct and precise, mining for any potential political problem lurking in one’s background."

He continued: "A brief follow up interview came a week or so later. Then, about a week after that, Sec. Clinton interviewed perhaps 6-7 candidates."

Castro noted that VP candidates are chosen to balance the ticket. To gain a political advantage or to compensate for a candidate's perceived weakness. Castro gave several examples, including John F. Kennedy choosing Lyndon Johnson to help the New England native win the South, and Barack Obama running with Joe Biden, a long-serving senator, to compensate for Obama's relative inexperience.

"In 2016, the speculation was that Clinton might choose a Black or Latino male to balance the ticket," Castro said. "This year, conventional wisdom is that a white male will be chosen."

Indeed, Harris' reported short list includes a dozen potential running mates, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, a retired astronaut — all white, middle-aged men.

"Trump doubled down on his base with the choice of Vance, making Trump perhaps less competitive with independents than he might have been with a different pick," Castro added. "That gives VP Harris a lot of latitude to select a running mate."

Harris is expected to announce her decision sometime Tuesday morning, the New York Times reports.

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