Now I wanna be mayor, sez Yang
He’s in.
Andrew Yang, who rose to prominence during a longshot presidential run, is throwing his hat into next year’s mayoral race.
The city Campaign Finance Board confirmed that Yang registered his campaign Wednesday.
For months, city politicos have been speculating that Yang might jump into the race, which already boasts a crowded field.
As of Wednesday, candidates include city Comptroller Scott Stringer, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, former Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia, Mayor de Blasio’s former legal adviser Maya Wiley, former HUD secretary Shaun Donovan, Brooklyn City Councilman Carlos Menchaca and former Citigroup executive Ray McGuire, and several others.
Yang’s political consultant Chris Coffey described the move as not an “official” signal that he’s running, but merely a “procedural thing.”
“We aren’t accepting donations,” he said. “No status change.”
Yang became a household name during the Democratic presidential primary for his support of universal basic income, a plan which would give every American adult $1,000 each month. He’s the second candidate with experience in the financial sector to enter the race.
He is the founder of Venture for America, which his presidential campaign site said was formed with an eye toward “rejuvenating local economies.”
A recent poll conducted by Education Reform Now Advocacy and released Monday had Yang leading the field, with 17% of respondents saying they would support him.
“It makes it more difficult for Ray McGuire because now you have two finance guys,” said Fordham University political scientist Christina Greer. “He has a lot of name recognition, so it makes it more difficult for people without that.”
Candidates with more experience in government, such as Garcia and Donovan, could stand to lose ground as a result, she added.
“His name recognition is high, that’s a fact, but I welcome the competition,” Garcia said. “New Yorkers want proven competency and experience, and that’s what wins at the end of the day.”
Yang, who became known for his MATH slogan — Make America Think Harder — will also have to shift away from a national campaign in which he worked hard to appeal to whites in middle America. “A lot of the tropes he used to gain favor with white Americans isn’t going to play well in New York City,” Greer said. “I’m curious to see how he’ll pivot.”
Yang is not expected to begin campaigning until after two U.S. Senate runoffs in Georgia conclude in early January. Those races will decide whether the Democrats or Republicans have control of the Senate next year when President-elect Joe Biden takes office.
Yang, who was raised in Westchester County and lives in Hell’s Kitchen, announced to great fanfare last month that he’d move to Georgia to help the two Democratic challengers, Jon Ossoff and the Rev. Raphael Warnock, win those races.