Julián Castro: ‘If I Don’t Make the Next Debate Stage, It Will Be the End of My Campaign’

Flailing Democrat White House hopeful Julián Castro told supporters in a campaign fundraising email Thursday that missing the next presidential primary debate stage will be the “end” of his bid.

“I don’t say this lightly: If I don’t make the next debate stage, it will be the end of my campaign,” Castro, an Obama-era Housing and Urban Development Secretary, wrote in an email urging supporters for donations, according to The Hill.

“They told me point blank: The DNC’s new debate threshold will be the end of the road if we can’t get more money in the door — immediately,” he added.

Castro’s email comes as lower-tier Democrat presidential candidates are scrambling to meet the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) elevated qualifications to qualify for the fifth debate, which requires they receive 3 percent support or more in at least four polls. The Democrat, who previously served as the mayor of San Antonio, Texas, asked supporters to pony up between $5 to $500 in contributions before Friday so it can use the money to purchase ads to boost his flat polling numbers.

“I know this new debate threshold is designed to cut candidates like me from the running,” Castro said in a shot at the DNC. “It’s designed for wealthy candidates with unlimited funds to blanket the airwaves with their message. But I wasn’t born into privilege like other candidates.”

Castro, who boldly claimed he could defeat President Donald Trump in a 2020 presidential match-up by winning Florida, Arizona, and Texas, has only garnered low single-digit poll support in several national and statewide surveys since launching his longshot bid in January.

Castro’s campaign sparked a political firestorm in August when Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) — the candidate’s campaign chair and twin brother — shared a public list to social media of San Antonio natives who have donated to President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign. The stunt to shame supporters of the president backfired with donors reportedly giving over $1 million to his 2020 bid in response to Castro’s post.