[Brown:] There is no sure fire resume for a vice president. But this year, one qualification may be more important than others and that's ethnicity, especially being a Latino. The Spanish vote could be decisive in this election, and both parties want those votes. For Democrats, Julian Castro's name comes up over and over as a possible running mate. CNN's Tanzina Vega asked him about it.
[Vega:] You are rumored to be Hillary's V.P. pick. Do you feel like a lot of that focus is mostly on demographics or on policy?
[Julian Castro , Housing And Urban Development Secretary:] Number one, I've said over and over, I don't believe that will happen. I will let the speculation belong to other folks. I've been proud to support Secretary Clinton, but I'm just going to just keep doing what I am doing and making sure that I am doing a good job.
[Brown:] On the Republican side, the name you will hear is Susana Martinez, second term governor of New Mexico and former prosecutor. A glittering resume in a swing state that has made her a top choice for V.P. Tanzina Vega joins us me now for more on this. Tanzina, do you really think Latinos, people like Julian Castro, will vote for their running mate is Hispanic, Hispanic like Julian Castro?
[Vega:] I think we have to give Latinos a lot more credit than assuming they will just vote on demographic lines, right? Julian Castro's story, his personal story is one that I think resonates with a lot of Latinos, especially with Mexican Americans. He has Texas roots. His grandmother was an immigrant from Mexico looking for a better life. His mother was a well known social activist in San Antonio. He himself was the mayor of San Antonio. And in terms of policy, he has been pretty progressive recently on a lot of these issues. He's put forth new recommendations and guidelines for people with criminal records, they are looking for housing, usually had tough time in the past. And on top of that, he has made homelessness a top item in his agenda, and also been progressive when it comes to LBGT rights. So, I think, you know, when you look broadly at the issue, there are lots of reasons for people to have an interests on Julian beyond specifically his demographics. But I do think that's an important point.
[Brown:] Let's look at the tweet that has so many people talking. From Donald Trump Thursday saying, "Happy Cinco de Mayo. These taco bowls are made in Trump Tower Grill. I love Hispanics!" From your view talking to people, did he further alienate Hispanics with that tweet?
[Vega:] This tweet fell very flat with the Latino community. This was something that at best was considered pandering and at worst was considered insulting to a lot of people in the Latino community. You know, the fact of the matter is, people have not forgotten for the most part a lot of the rhetoric that Donald Trump started his campaign with, which included calling Mexican immigrants rapists and murderers. And so, eating a taco bowl is not going to change that, unfortunately.
[Brown:] And do you think, though, hypothetically, if Donald Trump does pick a Hispanic as a running mate, that could influence some of those Hispanics who right now wouldn't vote for him?
[Vega:] No. The majority of Latinos in the United States are Democrats, first of all. So, really, you know, we saw this with Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz. Neither one of those candidates really were able to galvanize the Latino vote and they were, you know, candidates who are running for president of the United States. So, I don't think it really makes a difference as much for the Latino Republicans, which they do exist. I mean, there are Republicans that are Latino. But that's really not your core vote and core constituency. I don't think you are going to see a lot of Latino Republican candidates, whether it is a V.P. pick for Donald Trump or the two running for president who really use identity politics as a way to connect with the Latino vote.
[Brown:] And you have a really interesting piece on CNN.com, and in it, you write about the lack of Latino leaders. Do Hispanics want or lead a national leader in your view?
[Vega:] I think part of the challenge with getting a national leader, when we think of it, it is a monolith, it's one of the most diverse communities out there. We got people from all different parts of the world, you have Mexican-Americans. You have people who have been here for generations. You have Puerto Ricans. You have Dominicans. I mean, the list is very long. You have people who speak Spanish as a first language, people who don't. So, sort of the idea that there is one figure that could embody that, all those layers of complexity and all those different types of people I think it is a real challenge. I think we are also in a moment right now where we're seeing this with the Black Lives Matter movement, for example. You know, there isn't really a desire to have a figurehead like there were back in the '60s, when people had, you know, civil rights leader sort of leading the charge. I just think that that's really something that's palatable. I think what you are seeing now is a lot of development in terms of local politicians and people who are getting groomed like Castro for potentially bigger positions.
[Brown:] Really interesting perspective and context there. Tanzina Vega thank you so much for that. And you can see more of Tanzina's interview with Julian Castro at CNN.com. We appreciate it. Well, this election cycle, nothing is certain. I think we can all agree with that, right? Well, coming up, we're going to look wild cards that could sway the election in November, as Trump and Clinton ramp up their attacks. Stay with us.