Days after butting heads at the first Democratic presidential primary debate, Texas rivals Julián Castro and Beto O'Rourke headlined dueling events Friday evening less than a mile apart in downtown Austin, with Castro seeking to lay claim to favorite-son status.

Speaking at a state party fundraiser, Castro worked to capitalize on the media attention and national acclaim he has received since the debate, emphasizing to a crowd of a few hundred people that he was tired of being cast as the underdog Texan compared with O'Rourke.

"A few months ago, they were writing me up as the other Texan," Castro said, playing up the donations and supporters he gained since the debate. “But that is no more. I am the Texan.”

Addressing a larger crowd minutes earlier at a free campaign rally, O'Rourke extolled the work supporters did to politically transform Texas last year while he was running for U.S. Senate — work that his campaign later cited to rebut Castro's assertion.

Credit by - The Texas tribune

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