Zooming from political wunderkind in San Antonio to Cabinet official in the Clinton Administration, Henry Cisneros has been on a meteoric path his whole life. Now 63, he is officially out of elected office but still very much involved in the Democratic Party.

Before the March primary this year, thousands of Texans received a “robocall” from Cisneros on behalf of State Board of Education candidate Rebecca Bell-Metereau. He’s been stumping for Bill White and other Democrats all over Texas ever since. He is always in demand as a speaker to drum up dollars and votes during any election season.

When he was elected mayor of San Antonio, Cisneros was only 33 years old but had already served on the City Council since the age of 27. He was the youngest mayor and the first Hispanic mayor in San Antonio. With degrees from Texas A&M (BA and MA), Harvard University (MA) and George Washington University (PhD), Cisneros could have chosen a career in academics. Instead he chose public service and urban planning.

After leaving Washington, Cisneros became president of the Spanish-language TV network Univision and is currently chairman of CityView, an urban development and investment company based in San Antonio and Los Angeles. His wife Mary Alice serves on the San Antonio City Council.

During a brief break in his always-busy schedule, Cisneros shared some thoughts with us on the upcoming election and the historically low Hispanic turnout.

QUESTION: How are you feeling about Texas Democrats and the midterm elections now?
CISNEROS: This is a very important election across the country and in Texas. With the opportunity to have an enthused electorate select a Democratic governor in Bill White, we really have to energize the voting base from top to bottom.

Texas has suffered a great deal in recent years in terms of our accessibility to health insurance, children’s medical services and education at all levels. We need to return to a philosophy in which government plays a role in people’s lives, instead of setting up government as an enemy.

QUESTION: Are you out campaigning a lot these days?
CISNEROS: I’m going to be in Nueces County for Bill White this weekend, and I expect to campaign for various individuals, including Congressman Chet Edwards. I expect to be available for the party on and off through the fall, as my schedule allows.

QUESTION: I got a robo-call from you during the March Democratic primary, on behalf of SBOE candidate Rebecca Bell-Metereau. Tell us why you think SBOE is such an important race.
CISNEROS: Texas has done well over its history with a Democratic philosophy that has invested in education — in infrastructure and the public schools. That’s more important now than ever now that Texas is essentially an urban state with three of the biggest cities in the country and some of the fastest-growing cities, including Austin and Fort Worth. We’re a state that is progressing and a state that needs progressive policies.

QUESTION: Everyone this cycle is talking about that “slumbering giant,” the untapped Hispanic vote. What are your thoughts on how we can entice more Latinos to come to the polls?
CISNEROS: The Latino vote will indefinitely and consistently and steadily become more significant and more energized. It’s partly just the function of its growth, but it’s also the engagement of policies. The Republican policy in Arizona to target Latinos, which is being mimicked by some Republicans in Texas, is the kind of thing that will energize voters. Add to that the recognition that politics matter. Latinos care about quality education, small business opportunities and other things that are traditional parts of the Democratic message.

QUESTION: What about encouraging Latinos to not only get out and vote but also to get involved in the political process and run for office? You did that at age 27, and now San Antonio also boasts two rising stars in the Castro brothers, Mayor Julian Castro and State Rep. Joaquin Castro.
CISNEROS: I think you’ll see a steady progressing of Latinos in politics, and that’s a positive thing. I think among those young talents are people who will lead statewide tickets in due course and win. And that will energize the electorate, too.