POLITICS

Julian Castro says he needs $800,000 by end of month to stay in Democratic presidential race

El Paso Times

Texan Julian Castro, a Democratic presidential candidate, says he will be forced to drop out of the race if he doesn't raise $800,000 by the end of the month.

In a Monday fundraising email to supporters, the former Housing and Urban Development Secretary said his campaign is "in dire need of financial resources to keep going."

Castro set an Oct. 31 fundraising deadline, warning his campaign would cease if the $800,000 mark isn't met.

"If I don’t meet this deadline, I won’t have the resources to keep my campaign running," the email states. "This isn’t a fundraising gimmick — it’s the transparency and honesty I have promised you since I entered this race."

Democrat Julian Castro poses for a photo at his home in San Antonio, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018. Castro says he is launching a presidential exploratory committee ahead of a likely White House run in 2020. Castro was the nationâ€™s housing secretary until 2016 and spent five years as mayor of San Antonio.

Castro has lagged behind other candidates in fundraising and in the polls. Though he's met the donor requirement for the November debate, the former Housing and Urban Development Secretary hasn't met the polling requirement to qualify.

More:Have Beto O'Rourke, Julian Castro qualified for the November debate?

To make the November debate, candidates must have individual donations from at least 165,000 people, with at least 600 unique donors in 20 states. They must also poll 3% or higher in at least four approved national or early state polls (Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina or Nevada) or 5% or higher in two early state polls.

"Our campaign is facing its biggest challenge yet. 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," Campaign Manager Maya Rupert said in a statement. "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."

Castro raised about $3.5 million in the latest fundraising quarter, which covered July, August and September. After spending nearly $4 million, he has $672,333 on hand, according to the report.

The former San Antonio mayor has previously stressed the importance of making the November debate stage. In September, Castro said "it will be the end of my campaign" if he didn't qualify, according to USA TODAY.

"I think it confirms what we see in the polling numbers and in his reactions to his perform ace so far, which is that it's a campaign that has, to be generous, struggled to catch on among Democratic voters," said Jim Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project. "They continue to be on the edge of not being viable"

Fellow Texan Beto O'Rourke, is also still working to make the November debate stage. Between July 1 and Sept. 30, O'Rourke raised about $4.5 million.

Jim Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project, said "it's fair to take (Castro's fundraising appeal) as a sign of desperation." But he also questioned whether $800,000 was a "make-or-break amount" for he campaign.

"It's hard for me to...look at this and not simply see a fundraising tool," Henson said.

Henson said Castro's fundraising appeal is similar to others seen this election cycle.

Last month, Sen. Cory Booker's campaign said they needed to raise $1.7 million by September 30, the close of the third fundraising quarter. The campaign threatened he "might not be in this race for much longer" if the goal wasn't met, according to USA TODAY. Booker met the fundraising mark.

"Campaign fundraising is a copycat kind of enterprise," Henson said. "If it works for somebody, it's a hot minute before somebody else tries the same tactic."

Julian Castro says he needs $800,000 by end of month to stay in Democratic presidential race

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