Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro was propelled during the first night of Democratic debates in large part by his sharp exchange with former Rep. Beto O'Rourke over immigration. | Wilfredo Lee/AP Photo 2020 Democratic Debates Castro: 'A lot of people were surprised' by debate performance

A smiling Julián Castro said Thursday morning that "a lot of people were surprised" by his breakout performance at Wednesday night's Democratic presidential debate, a star-turn that could offer a lifeline to his struggling 2020 campaign.

“I think a lot of people were surprised. I haven't gotten as much coverage so far in the campaign. But I have been traveling. I think to 20 states already,” Castro, who said he had not slept overnight since leaving the debate stage, told MSNBC’s "Morning Joe." “I showed that I can more than handle myself. So I think that people are looking at me in a new way today."


Castro, a former secretary of housing and urban development under President Barack Obama and the former mayor of San Antonio, was propelled Wednesday night in large part by his sharp exchange with former Rep. Beto O'Rourke over immigration. The former Obama cabinet member criticized his fellow Texan over what he called a “disagreement about the most important aspect of immigration policy.”

Castro lambasted O’Rourke because he has not joined other candidates, including Castro, in calling for the repeal of Section 1325 of the Immigration Nationality Act, a law that the former housing and urban development secretary said has served as the legal underpinning for the Trump administration's controversial separations of migrant families crossing the border illegally.

Castro conceded that his line of attack against O'Rourke was premeditated and that he chose to attack his fellow Texan, as opposed to Democratic front-runner Joe Biden, because O'Rourke was on stage with him on the first night of the debate while Biden won't appear until Thursday night's round two.

“Well, I would be lying if I said that I hadn't thought about the issue before,” he said, pointing to recent news coverage of a father and young daughter whose bodies were photographed in the Rio Grande after they drowned attempting to enter the U.S. "If I was extra animated last night, it's because I was feeling what a lot of people were feeling. We have to make sure that this cruelty from the administration stops."

Rep. Beto O’Rourke, in contrast has enjoyed the media spotlight, though appeared to get a beating from Castro, who seemingly came out on top following the scuffle.

O'Rourke, for his part, told MSNBC in his own "Morning Joe" interview that it was not his intention Wednesday night to attack other candidates but instead to "reflect back what I've heard" on the campaign trail in the 100-plus events he has held thus far.

“I just feel like my responsibility on that stage is to describe and define what I want to do for this country, and the way in which I want to do it. I’m not running against anybody. I’m running for the United States of America,” O’Rourke said.

Asked why his campaign, one of the first in the expansive 2020 field to launch, has struggled to this point to gain traction, Castro replied "these things are weird" and said he intends to be in the Democratic field for the long-haul, into the Iowa caucuses next February and beyond.

"Campaigns have this life cycle. And I said the whole time since I announced that I don't want to be a flash in the pan candidate. I wanted to build a strong campaign little by little," he said. "We have seven months to go until Iowa caucuses. So it doesn't matter to me what the polls say right now. It matters what they say on February 3 and beyond that. And what we see is I'm getting stronger and stronger and stronger."