Castro Campaign Press Release - Julián Castro Meets Donor Threshold for December Debate, Calls for Changes to Primary System

SAN ANTONIO, TX (December 5, 2019) – Today, Thursday, December 5, in a media call with reporters, presidential candidate, former Obama Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Mayor of San Antonio, Texas, Julián Castro announced that he has secured the contributions needed to meet the grassroots donor threshold for the December debate. The campaign still needs to meet the required polling thresholds to secure Secretary Castro's spot on stage.

The announcement comes after Senator Kamala Harris announced she would suspend her candidacy for president. Secretary Castro announced that in the days following Senator Harris's announcement, the campaign has raised more than $360,000 from 18,000 donors, averaging under $20 per contribution. Following Senator Harris's announcement, Secretary Castro trended nationally on Twitter, and has seen a large increase in new donors from across the country.

On Thursday, Secretary Castro disagreed with those calling for immediate changes to the DNC thresholds, but called for systemic changes to the Democratic primary process. "I'm not asking for anyone to change the rules of the game in the middle of it. I want something much more meaningful than that. We need to change the whole game. There's no reason that Iowa and New Hampshire should go first — two states that hardly have any black people in them, any people of color."