Castro says he met fundraising goal to stay in presidential race

Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro’s campaign announced that he had met his fundraising goal of $800,000 as of Friday, saying the campaign brought in over $1 million during the month of October from roughly 50,000 donors. 

“Time and time again this campaign has defied expectations with the support of an army of dedicated, grassroots supporters,” Castro’s campaign manager Maya Rupert said in a statement. “We’re not going anywhere.”

The campaign said the recent fundraising haul will be enough to “sustain the campaign and make a push for the November and December Democratic debates.” 

Castro has qualified for all of the Democratic primary debates so far. He notably faced criticism after the September debate when he accused front-runner former Vice President Joe Biden of contradicting himself on health care. 

His campaign later sought to fundraise off of the criticism, saying it was “the biggest challenge” his candidacy has ever come up against.

Castro’s latest fundraising haul comes less than two weeks after he appealed to his supporters, saying he would be forced to drop out of the presidential race if he did not raise $800,000 by Oct. 31.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) used a similar tactic to fundraise in September, warning his supporters that without $1.7 million in donations, “we do not see a legitimate long-term path forward.” Booker’s appeal to supporters was successful. 

Castro, the former Housing and Urban Development secretary, has struggled to gain traction in the crowded Democratic primary field in the polls and in fundraising.