Julian Castro was probably never going to be the Democrat nominee, but he has managed to hang on for longer than Beto O’Rourke and Bill de Blasio.
Now he has missed the threshold for the next Democrat debate this month.
Is this the tipping point for his campaign?
Zach Montellaro reports at Politico:
Castro to miss November debateFormer Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro won’t qualify for the next Democratic presidential primary debate, the only candidate still in the race who participated in the October debate to miss out on November’s.Ten candidates are projected to participate in the debate cohosted by MSNBC and The Washington Post on Nov. 20 in Atlanta, according to POLITICO’s tracking of public polling and donor figures: Joe Biden, Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Tulsi Gabbard, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, Tom Steyer, Elizabeth Warren and Andrew Yang.All ten participated in the October debate, along with Castro and Beto O’Rourke — who dropped out of the race earlier this month. The qualifying period ends at midnight Wednesday, and the Democratic National Committee is expected to make the lineup official on Thursday.Castro missing the debate stage comes at a trying time for the Texan’s campaign. Last week, POLITICO reported that he was laying off his staff in New Hampshire and South Carolina, with the intent to focus his now long-shot bid on Iowa and Nevada.
Tulsi Gabbard made the cut, but not Castro. That has to sting.
NBC News reports that Castro is trying to remain relevant despite this. Basically, he is yelling louder on social media. It’s not clear how this is going to save his campaign:
Julián Castro pushes to stay visible in 2020 race even if he’s absent from next debateCertain that he won’t be in next week’s Democratic debate, presidential candidate Julián Castro has doubled down on ensuring his voice and campaign don’t fade from the 2020 race.Castro has been unable to meet the polling criteria to qualify for the Nov. 20 debate in Atlanta. The end of the day Wednesday is the deadline to reach the polling threshold of 3 percent or higher in four approved polls or 5 percent in two early state polls. No polls have Castro at those levels.Despite that, Castro has been commanding news and social media attention this week by taking outspoken stands on the primary process, releasing new policy proposals and amplifying his proposals on issues he has championed during his campaign…Recently, Castro criticized the Democratic Party practice of holding its first-in-the nation nominating contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, states that are overwhelmingly white.
Nothing says confidence like playing the race card on the first primary states:
Missing the next debate is going to affect public perception of his campaign, especially when media analysts repeatedly note his absence.
It’s difficult to see how he gets back into the main field after this.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY