Julián Castro buys "Fox & Friends" ad to take on Trump over El Paso shooting

Why it matters: The ad is a way for Castro to show voters he's not afraid to directly take on Trump.

• "Julián isn't afraid of Donald Trump or his bigoted agenda, and will continue to expose his racism and division until he defeats him next November," Maya Rupert, Castro's campaign manager, said in a statement.
• If Trump responds to the ad on Twitter, it could also help Castro's campaign with exposure and fundraising.

The state of play: Castro is placing a small ad buy — just $2,775 — for three spots throughout the day on Fox News in Bedminster, N.J., where Trump is spending the week at his private golf club.

• Castro's campaign will continue spreading the ad digitally after it airs.

Between the lines: The El Paso shooter wrote a manifesto that echoed Trump's rhetoric on Hispanics, taking issue with what he called a "Hispanic invasion" in the U.S.

• In the ad, Castro says: "As we saw in El Paso, Americans were killed because you stoked the fire of racists. Innocent people were shot down because they look different from you. Because they look like me. They look like my family."

Go deeper: Julián Castro on the issues, in under 500 words