For the first time, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro will not be on the debate stage in November.
Though he did not qualify for the debate, Castro said he is encouraged by what he has seen the past few weeks.
"People have given their $5, $10, a lot of grassroots contributions to help us keep going. We have one more shot in December, to get on the debate stage before the February caucus in Iowa, and so, you know, I am going to stay in it," said Castro.
Castro's campaign laid of staff in New Hampshire and South Carolina and is now putting his focus into Iowa, Nevada and Texas.
"The fact is it is the first state. And because of that we are going to focus on doing as well as we possibly can and beating expectations in Iowa," said Castro. "We have other states that are coming up after that, including Nevada, which I believe I can do well in, and then you get to Super Tuesday and you have states like Texas and California and a number of others that I believe I can compete well in.
Castro said he was committed to getting to those states even if he does not make the December debate stage.
"My intention right now is to keep working, to keep going on," said Castro.
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Castro said he will continue to talk about issues that matter to Americans all over the country. It is his own experiences that remind him why this election is so important.
"I also know why I am in this. I am in this because I was tremendously blessed with the opportunity that I have had in life, coming from the circumstances that my brother and I came from, and I want to make sure everybody else can have that in this country. And so it's worth working hard and, you know, continuing to stay in this fight," he added.
You can see the entire interview with Julian Castro Sunday Morning on Lone Star Politics at 8:30 a.m. on NBC 5. The full interview will be available online after the show.
