Yang Runs for NY Mayor

By Jennie L. Ilustre

 

Successful technology entrepreneur Andrew Yang is running for mayor of New York City. He launched his candidacy on January 14, with the grandson of America’s civil rights icon Martin Luther King, Jr. as co-chair of his mayoral campaign.

At  the launch, US Congressman (NY-15) and campaign Co-Chair Ritchie Torres called Yang “a problem solver who’s going to make our city work, not for political insiders, but for all New Yorkers…He’s exactly the transformational leader that we need in our moment of greatest crisis.”

 

An initial poll showed Yang, 45, is ahead in a crowded field of a dozen candidates. Aside from Martin Luther King III, he has since attracted significant political endorsements. The Democratic primary is on June 22.

 

Politico, a top newspaper in the nation’s capital, noted that Yang did well in a survey. It quoted The New York Post report that Yang dominated in a Slingshot Strategies survey of 1,000 Democratic voters conducted between November 30 and December 6 last year.

 

Politico reported Yang was “the first choice for 20 percent of respondents,” followed by Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and City Comptroller Scott Stringer, who received 14 percent and 11 percent, respectively.

 

In a separate question testing using a system of selecting five candidates and ranking them in order of preference, Politico reported Yang was ranked first by 17 percent of respondents and second by 12 percent, putting him first both times.

 

During the launching of his candidacy, Yang, who has never held public office, said the reason he is running for mayor of New York is simple: “I see a crisis. I believe I can help.“ He then elaborated on how he would address the crisis and his vision for New York.

 

In his website, he stressed, “A lot will need to be done to recover from the pandemic. We need to have the right leadership and a comprehensive plan to get our City back on its feet.”

 

He added: “That’s why I’m running for mayor. I want to serve my community in this time of need and bring bold, innovative solutions to the table. I want to lead us forward as we rise above our current politics. I want to see every New Yorker thrive in our City.”

 

Yang’s plans include addressing inequity in Covid-19 response, a Basic Income for New York City, rebuilding a more human-centered economy, helping small businesses recover, reopening stronger schools, and bringing back New York City’s nightlife.

 

Remarkable Quest

For his polling advantage, credit largely goes to Yang’s name recognition and his innovative ideas as the first male Asian American to run for president last year.

 

Yang ran a remarkable campaign in last year’s presidential Democratic primary. The race featured over twenty nationally prominent candidates. Yang was an unknown. But most of the candidates dropped out before he did.

 

Yang ended his campaign after the Iowa primary. But the day after he announced ending his quest for the presidency, Dan Merica and Kate Sullivan noted in a CNN analysis that Yang leaves the race “with a level of power that no one would have expected when he entered the contest.”

 

With his popularity with young voters, ability to raise political donations, and as a media magnet, Democratic Party officials were clamoring for Yang to campaign for other candidates last year.

 

This year, without any prodding, he went to Georgia to volunteer for the US Senate races of Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff. With a massive “get out and vote” movement by Black and Asian American advocates in Georgia, both candidates won in the January 6 runoff.

 

Yang as inspiration

Jo-Ann Yoo, executive director of the New York-based Asian American Federation, welcomed the news of Yang’s candidacy. She described it as another sign of progress for Asian Americans, and as an inspiration for the young generation.

 

She said in an email interview: “Andrew Yang’s popularity was a signal that America would consider voting for someone who was not white and did not come from a traditional political career. The pan-Asian community–we are the perpetual ‘other’ in America. No matter how long your family’s immigration history, we are assumed to be newcomers and somehow not part of America.’’

 

“Don’t get me wrong–we still have a long, long way to go before the ‘establishment’ sees and recognizes us as American,” she added. “But the fact that a presidential candidate whose face looks like mine got as far as he did is progress. The fact that East Asian kids saw a presidential candidate who looked like them is progress.”

 

She pointed out: “The fact that South Asian boys and especially girls went to bed after the January 20 inauguration of Vice President Kamala Harris dreaming that they, too, could one day rise to the highest offices in their country, is progress. But, progress is elusive. You have to constantly nurture it and build upon it. That is ultimately the work we all have to commit to.”

 

Dewita Soeharjono of the Democratic Asian Americans of Virginia said of Yang’s candidacy last year: “For me, the most important thing that his candidacy achieved is that he has inspired a lot of young Asian Americans, and the young generation in general.”

 

Jon Melegrito, an Asian American civil rights leader and a grassroots veteran of two Democratic presidential campaigns, has a high regard for Yang.

 

“Andrew Yang has proven himself to be very knowledgeable and articulate about critical issues affecting minorities and underserved communities,” he said. “He advocated for basic and practical policies to address issues of income inequality and wealth distribution. His endorsements by civil rights leaders are a testament to his commitment to improve the living conditions of all Americans.”

 

Basic Income

Yang attracted major media buzz for his innovative, entertaining campaign, and his Universal Basic Income (UBI) policy proposal during his presidential quest. UBI, or Freedom Dividend, would give $1,000 a month or $12,000 a year, to every American adult age 18 and over, with no strings attached.

 

Yang’s UBI proposal became a popular subject in the media with the pandemic-related job losses and business closures. Should he emerge as the victor in the mayoral race, Yang plans to launch the largest basic income program in the country “for 500,000 New Yorkers with the greatest need.”

 

Under his plan, any New Yorker would be eligible to receive cash relief, regardless of their immigration status or life experience, such as incarceration or homelessness. Initially, this basic income program would start with providing those who are living in extreme poverty with an average of $2,000 a year.

 

“For far too long, New York City has left behind far too many of our residents who struggle every single day to make ends meet–working people, people on the brink of eviction or currently experiencing homelessness, immigrant communities, young people, parents and so many more,” Yang said. “COVID-19 has only exacerbated racial and economic disparities that were already ever-present in a city with marked inequality.”

 

Yang Loves New York

Yang’s love affair with New York started when he moved to Manhattan at age 21, right after college. “I came of age, fell in love, and became a father here,” he said. His wife, Evelyn, is from Queens. Both their sons, Christopher and Damien, were born in New York.

 

“Seeing New York the way it is now hurts my heart,” he said in his website, www.yangfornyc. “The thought that I might be able to contribute to my city’s revival is both an incredible responsibility and opportunity. What we do in the months ahead will determine our city’s trajectory for decades to come.”

 

Yang studied economics and political science at Brown and went to law school at Columbia. He called himself a Math Guy during his presidential run. He has always been an innovative solutions guy.

 

In 2011, he founded Venture for America, a national public service fellowship that places graduates in struggling communities to help local businesses revitalize the economy. He went on to create over 2,500 jobs in cities like Cleveland, Detroit, and Pittsburgh.

 

Yang was born in upstate New York. His parents, who left Taiwan in the 1960s in search of the American Dream, met in grad school. Yang’s father was a researcher at IBM (he generated almost 70 patents over his career). His mother was the systems administrator at a local university.