Julián Castro’s Presidential Campaign Could Be Over if He Doesn’t Raise $800K

Julián Castro’s presidential campaign could be coming to an end. If he doesn’t raise $800,000 by Oct. 31, he says, “I’ll be forced to leave the race.” The former United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and San Antonio Mayor put it frankly: I’m counting on your donation. 

“Our campaign is facing its biggest challenge yet,” Maya Rupert, Castro’s campaign manager, said in a press statement. “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.”

I’ll be blunt: If I can’t raise $800,000 by the end of the month, I’ll be forced to leave the race.

I'm all in, but I’m counting on your donation.
Contribute now: https://t.co/CZKqZ7uYHM Thank you. pic.twitter.com/lJpc9TJTTs

— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) October 22, 2019

Supporters of Castro came out in full swing on social media, urging people to help raise money or the only Latino candidate running for president will have no other choice but to exit the presidential run. 

Even Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has already endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders, told her millions of followers to donate to Castro’s campaign. “Julián is a powerful presence in this race,” Rep. Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. “I’m really proud of him and how he consistently uses his platform to uplift and center issues that are wrongly marginalized, like homelessness and police violence. Some folks try to make primaries vicious. In truth, we’re all in this together.”

Many communities, including Mecklenburg County, are facing an affordable housing crisis and other issues that Julián’s campaign is uniquely suited to talk about. I hope his voice stays in the race. https://t.co/5pNsf33Gll

— Alma Adams (@AlmaforCongress) October 22, 2019

One of the tricky — but noble — aspects to Castro’s campaign is that he isn’t accepting any money from PACs or lobbyists. The refusal of accepting money from interest groups and large corporations is to reflect that a candidate isn’t running a campaign to benefit money-making companies but rather taking money only from people. All of the Democratic presidential candidates have denounced the use of money from PACs or lobbyists.

However, there are loopholes. Candidates such as Beto O’Rourke and Sen. Kamala Harris have had donations from big corporations. Furthermore, campaigns such as Sen. Sanders, Sen. Warren, and former Vice President Joe Biden have sustainable campaigns because they’ve been raising money from previous campaigns. 

NBC News reports that “At the end of September, Castro’s campaign reported $672,333 cash on hand, according to FEC filings. He had raised over $3.4 million during the third fundraising quarter.”

.@JulianCastro is a gun sense champion who’s focused on the every day gun violence in America. If he doesn’t raise $800,000 by October 31, he will end his campaign.

DONATE: https://t.co/xBJt2fZGDu https://t.co/fL8aTCpFxW

— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) October 21, 2019

Castro has made similar donation pushes in the past, and it has worked. We would hate to see Castro out of the race, considering he is the only candidate speaking directly to asylum seekers and has an extensive immigration reform plan. 

Texas Rep. Joe Moody tweeted, “No matter who you support in this primary, losing Julian Castro’s voice in this process should be something everyone in our party is against. I know I am and will be chipping in before 10/31. Hope you consider doing the same.”