Julián Castro qualifies for September presidential debates

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro has qualified for the next presidential debates, taking place in September in Houston.

The former Obama housing chief and former mayor of San Antonio earned 2 percent in a new CNN poll of Democratic voters.

That makes him the 10th candidate in a crowded field to qualify for the September debate round, which requires donations from at least 130,000 people and 2 percent support in four polls.

Campaign manager Maya Rupert says Castro has built momentum based off his performance in the two previous rounds of debates, held in June in Miami and in July in Detroit.

Candidates have until Aug. 28 to qualify for the third debate round, which is set to take place Sept. 12 and 13.

Castro launched his 2020 presidential campaign in January.