On October 21, the former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and Mayor of San Antonio said his campaign would be “silenced for good” if he could not raise $800,000 by Halloween.
Federal Election Campaign (FEC) filings revealed he raised $3.5 million in contributions with less than $700,000 cash on hand during the third quarter.
By comparison, Democratic front-runners Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders both reported nearly $25 million and $26 million in contributions in the third quarter with nearly $20 million and $16 million in cash-on-hand values respectively.
Despite these numbers, however, Castro’s announcement today said his campaign not only met, but surpassed the $800,000 fundraising goal needed to continue in the race.
Thanking the 50,000 donors who helped him meet his goal, Castro said, “we raised more than $1M for the month of October, one of our biggest months yet,” giving him the needed 165,000 donor-threshold needed to qualify for the fifth Democratic debate.
Despite meeting this donor threshold, however, Castro still lacks the required three percent in four polls approved by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) or five percent in two approved early-state polls needed to qualify for the fifth Democratic debate.
Recent polling data of 2020 Democratic presidential candidates indicate support of less than 1 percent for Castro, while Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren lead the pack at nearly 27 percent and 22 percent respectively.
Fellow Texan and Democratic candidate Beto O’Rourke is also struggling to qualify for the fourth Democratic debate, raising only $4.5 million during the third quarter with a cash-on-hand value of $3.2 million and only two percent support in the polls.
The fifth Democratic debate is set to take place on November 20 in Georgia.
The deadline for Castro and O’Rourke to qualify is November 13.
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Sarah McConnell
Sarah McConnell is a reporter for The Texan. Previously, she worked as a Cyber Security Consultant after serving as a Pathways Intern at the Department of Homeland Security – Citizenship and Immigration Services. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Texas A&M as well as her Master of Public Service and Administration degree from the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M. In her free time, Sarah is an avid runner, jazz enthusiast, and lover of all things culinary.
