Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro said Tuesday that, despite all the speculation that he’s being considered to be Hillary Clinton’s running mate, he hasn’t been vetted by the Democratic front-runner’s campaign.
Castro, who endorsed Clinton last year, was asked by CNN’s Brooke Baldwin if he would accept a spot on Clinton’s presidential ticket and replied, “That’s not going to happen.”
When asked if he had been vetted, or contacted by the Clinton campaign, he said, “I am not … I haven’t heard from anyone.”
Ever since he gave a well-received speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2012, Castro has been buzzed about as a potential vice presidential pick in 2016.
At 41, the former mayor of San Antonio is seen as a fresh face who would help Clinton by appealing to young voters and Hispanics. He has been an active surrogate for Clinton on the campaign trail in addition to a mainstay on VP shortlists this election cycle.
Castro has been highly critical of Donald Trump’s comments on Latinos.
“As a country we need to turn in a more constructive direction than Donald Trump is trying to lead us,” he told CNN in April. “He has unleashed prejudice in a way that we haven’t seen in quite a while.”
Castro has been coy about the vice presidential buzz, telling Baldwin that he’s “going to be back in Texas next year,” a line he has repeated over the past few months.