Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro’s presidential campaign announced Thursday it has hit the fundraising threshold for the December primary debate
“.@JulianCastro has hit the 200K donor threshold for the December debate,” Liza Acevedo, the Castro campaign’s deputy national press secretary, tweeted.
“Take note: Voters want to hear his vision and message for our country on stage. They want honesty. They want diversity. They want the entire game to be changed.”
.@JulianCastro has hit the 200K donor threshold for the December debate.
— Liza Acevedo (@lizamacevedo) December 5, 2019
Take note: Voters want to hear his vision and message for our country on stage. They want honesty. They want diversity. They want the entire game to be changed.
To make the December debate, candidates have to amass the support of at least 200,000 unique donors and register support of 4 percent or more in four qualifying polls or 6 percent in two approved early voting state polls in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada or South Carolina.
While Castro has successfully garnered 200,000 unique donors, he has not yet hit the polling threshold by the Dec. 12 deadline —– he has not scored higher than 2 percent in any polls for the December debate that were approved by the Democratic National Committee (DNC).
Castro Thursday called for the DNC to revamp its presidential nominating process, saying that having the first two nominating contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, two overwhelmingly white states, fails to prioritize voters of color.
“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,” he said. “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.”
So far six candidates have qualified for the December debate: former Vice President Joe Biden
Joe Biden Chris Wallace condemns Trump claims that he won the election Biden campaign blasts Trump victory claim as 'outrageous, unprecedented, and incorrect' Bipartisan lawmakers condemn Trump for declaring victory prematurely MORE, Sen. Elizabeth Warren
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The issue of diversity in the Democratic 2020 primary field was thrust into the spotlight this week after Sen. Kamala Harris
Kamala HarrisBiden says he's 'optimistic' he will win presidential race Live updates: Democrats fight to take control of the Senate Harris makes final stump of campaign in Michigan: 'Everything is at stake' MORE (D-Calif.), who is of Indian and Jamaican descent, dropped out of the race, meaning that all of the candidates who have qualified for next month’s debate thus far are white.
Entrepreneur Andrew Yang
Andrew YangPelosi spars with CNN's Blitzer over COVID-19 aid: 'You really don't know what you're talking about' The shape of guaranteed income Biden's latest small business outreach is just ... awful MORE and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard
Tulsi GabbardHarris faces biggest moment in spotlight yet Ocasio-Cortez slams Tulsi Gabbard for amplifying ballot harvesting video Republicans call on DOJ to investigate Netflix over 'Cuties' film MORE (D-Hawaii), are on the precipice of qualifying for the December debate, with each candidate needing one more qualifying poll to make the stage.
Advocates have called for people to donate to Castro and Sen. Cory Booker
Cory Anthony BookerCawthorn wins election to fill seat vacated by Meadows Booker easily wins reelection in New Jersey Live updates: Democrats fight to take control of the Senate MORE (D-N.J.), who is black, to ensure that there is diversity among the 2020 Democratic candidates.
“I’m a little angry, I have to say, that we started with one of the most diverse fields in our history, giving people pride,” Booker said in an interview with BuzzFeed News on Wednesday. “I don’t understand how we’ve gotten to this place where there’s more billionaires in the race than there are black people.”
Castro has raised $360,000 from 18,000 donors in the days after Harris’s withdrawal, with an average contribution of $20.
