Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro spent about seven million dollars on his failed presidential campaign, according to estimates and financial records.
Castro announced his decision to drop out of the 2020 presidential race Thursday, the first Democrat candidate to drop out in the new year.
Castro spent $6,830,677 on his campaign, according to his third quarter fundraising report in September.
The full four-quarter fundraising and spending numbers have yet to be publicized, but the three additional months of campaigning will likely push the spending numbers beyond $7 million.
“I’m so proud of everything we’ve accomplished together. I’m going to keep fighting for an America where everyone counts — I hope you’ll join me in that fight,” Castro said in a statement announcing the news.
Castro admitted in a video that it “simply isn’t our time” to win the presidency, despite his effort to capitalize on his Latino heritage and opposition to President Trump’s tough immigration policies.
Castro spent most of 2019 earning only one percent or less in national polls, according to RealClearPolitics.
His biggest moment in the campaign was during the August Democrat debate when he proposed repealing Section 1325 of the immigration law and famously tangled with former Congressman Beto O’Rourke, demanding that he “do his homework” on immigration policy: