Philanthropist and former U.S. presidential candidate Andrew Yang intends to replace the controversial Bill de Blasio as mayor of New York City. This is Yang's first shot at an elective office.
The ebullient Yang, who burst onto the national scene with his proposal to give every American adult $1,000 a month in universal basic income (UBI), has filed paperwork to run for mayor.
He joins a huge field of 40 other candidates seeking to replace de Blasio, who can no longer run for office having served two terms. Sources close to Yang said he decided to run after polling showed 20% of New Yorkers saying they'd support his candidacy, making him the top pick as de Blasio's successor.
A new poll released by Education Reform Now Advocacy, a charter school advocacy group, showed Yang as the top candidate with 17% support. This number is one percent higher than that for Eric Adams, the Brooklyn borough president previously seen as the leading candidate.
Yang, a resident of Manhattan for 25 years, listed former strategists of Michael Bloomberg as advisers. He's met with New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Reverend Al Sharpton in preparation for his mayoral campaign. Yang has also told New York City leaders he intends to run for mayor.
The tech entrepreneur, 45, is also being buoyed by his outperforming de Blasio in the Democratic Party presidential primaries. De Blasio ended his four-month presidential bid after polling in single digits. He later endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders.
In contrast, Yang ended his presidential run only on February 11 after unexpectedly strong performances in some states, but not enough to make him a serious contender for the party's nomination.
"We have touched and improved millions of lives and moved this country we love so much in the right direction," said Yang when he threw in the towel.
"And while there is great work left to be done, you know, I am the math guy, and it is clear tonight from the numbers that we are not going to win this race," he told supporters, also called the "Yang Gang."
"I am not someone who wants to accept donations and support in a race that we will not win. And so tonight I am announcing I am suspending my campaign for president."
Yang, the son of immigrants from the Republic of China (Taiwan), built his campaign around the slogan "MATH,' which stands for "Make America Think Harder."
During the Democratic Party presidential debates, Yang became famous for his knowledge about the economy and often wore a button with "MATH" written on it.
In ending his presidential run, Yang vowed that he and his universal basic income movement are "just getting started."
He founded Humanity Forward, a nonprofit he used to test UBI and some of his other social ideas, after ending his campaign. In March, he began giving hundreds of working families in New York $1,000 a month to determine the effectiveness of UBI.
