Julián Castro to Drop From 2020 Race If He Can’t Raise $800K by October 31, Campaign Says

By:
Oct 21, 2019
11:00 AM

Democratic presidential candidate former housing secretary Julián Castro looks on in the spin room after the Democratic Presidential Debate at Texas Southern University on September 12, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

With the likely prospect that Julián Castro will not make the November Democratic debate stage, his campaign said Monday morning that the former San Antonio mayor and the only Latino candidate in the race will need to raise $800,000 by October 31 or else he will officially drop out of the presidential race.

“Today [Monday], Secretary Castro will announce that his campaign needs to raise $800,000 by October 31st or he will be forced to drop out of the race,” a campaign email sent to media noted. “The campaign needs a significant influx of resources to fund operations needed to secure his spot on the November debate stage.”

“Our campaign is facing its biggest challenge yet,” Castro campaign manager Maya Rupert said. “Secretary Castro has run a historic campaign that has changed the nature of the 2020 election and pushed the Democratic party on a number of big ideas. Unfortunately, we do not see a path to victory that doesn’t include making the November debate stage—and without a significant uptick in our fundraising, we cannot make that debate.”

The campaign said that it has sent a email and video where Castro is telling supporters about the $800,000 goal. The video “will highlight all the ways Secretary Castro has shaped the 2020 election, and led the field on so many important issues that other campaigns have refused to discuss,” the campaign noted.

“I wanted to make sure you heard directly from me. If I can’t raise $800,000 in the next 10 days—I will have no choice but to end my race for President,” the Castro email said. “I’m asking you to fight for me like never before. If I don’t meet this deadline, I won’t have the resources to keep my campaign running. I’m counting on your $5 in this critical moment. This isn’t a fundraising gimmick—it’s the transparency and honesty I have promised you since I entered this race. The truth is, for our campaign, these debates have offered our only guaranteed opportunity to share my vision with the American people. If I can’t make the next debate stage, we cannot sustain a campaign that can make it to Iowa in February. My presidential campaign is in dire need of financial resources to keep going.”

The Castro campaign also noted that it has gotten 165,000 grassroots contributions, but “still needs 4 polls of at least 3% or more nationally to make the November debates, which are critical to maintaining a viable campaign. To secure these polls, the campaign will need an influx of resources to fund operations in battleground states.”

The latest polling averages for Castro are in the 1% range. More polls are expected this week. The next debate iss scheduled for November 20, and as of today, Castro and fellow Texan Beto O’Rourke would not qualify.

Those who have qualified so far are: Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Andrew Yang and Tom Steyer.

UPDATE: At 11:06 a.m. ET, the Castro campaign shared the video it said it would be sharing. The official email ask was sent at 11:17 a.m. ET.