Castro warns campaign will be 'silenced for good' unless he meets fundraising goal – POLITICO, Politico

Castro has struggled to raise significant sums of money compared with many of his rivals, who began the race with higher name identification, built-out email lists and previous campaigns from which they could transfer money. The $ 3.5 million Castro’s campaign raised from July through September was his largest fundraising quarter of the year, but he ended September with less than $ 700, 000 cash on hand.

The former Housing and Urban Development secretary and ex-San Antonio mayor also appears unlikely to meet the Democratic National Committee’s heightened standards to qualify for next month’s debate. Castro’s campaign has met the 165, 000 – donor threshold but has yet to meet the polling standard – 3 percent in four approved national polls or 5 percent in two approved early-state polls – in a single survey.

But he believes that raising $ 800, 000 by Oct. 31 will give his campaign enough money and time to pump resources into meeting the polling standards to qualify for the upcoming debate.

“The truth is, for our campaign, these debates have offered our only guaranteed opportunity to share my vision with the American people,” Castro said in the email. “If I can’t make the next debate stage, we cannot sustain a campaign that can make it to Iowa in February.”

Maya Rupert, Castro’s campaign manager, said the “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, ”she 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, the only Latino in the 2020 field, has often been out ahead of his competitors on issues and policies, thoughhe hasn’t always received the credit.

In last week’s debate, he was the only candidate on stage who mentioned Atatiana Jefferson, a black woman who was killed inside her home by a white Texas police officer earlier this month.

“I am not going to give these police officers another reason to go door to door in certain communities because police violence is also gun violence and we need to address that,” he said at the debate.

Late last week, he alsocriticizedSouth Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg for accepting a max donation from, and scheduling a fundraiser with , a former Chicago city attorney who was involved in the botched handling of the police shooting of black teen Laquan McDonald.

“I’m extremely proud of the historic and bold campaign we have built together,” Castro tweeted Monday morning. “But this is a critical moment— if my campaign can’t raise $ 800, 000 by October 31 st, my campaign will be silenced for good. Help us keep up the fight. ”