Rising star in Democratic Party first Latino to deliver keynote address
By Sarah Aarthun, Ed Lavandera and Mariano Castillo, CNN
Charlotte, North Carolina (CNN) - A young rising star. A keynote speech on the Democratic Party's biggest stage. Is it 2004 again?
San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro gave the most significant speech of his political career on Tuesday night when he became the first Latino to deliver the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention.
"My grandmother didn't live to see us begin our lives in public service. But she probably would've thought it extraordinary that just two generations after she arrived in San Antonio, one grandson would be the mayor and the other would be on his way - the good people of San Antonio willing - to the United States Congress," Castro said in his speech, referring to his twin brother, Joaquin.
"My family's story isn't special. What's special is the America that makes our story possible. "Ours is a nation like no other - a place where great journeys can be made in a single generation ... no matter who you are or where you come from, the path is always forward."
Comparisons to the 2004 Barack Obama are inevitable. The then-Illinois state Sen. Obama gave the same address in Boston, launching him onto the fast track for the presidential nomination four years later.
Castro, 37, shrugs off the similarities and talk that he could eventually become the first Hispanic president.
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