onstage during the fourth Democratic primary debate of the 2020
presidential campaign season co-hosted by The New York Times and
CNN at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio on October 15,
2019.
(Saul Loeb – AFP)
Former US presidential hopeful and tech entrepreneur
Andrew Yang has announced he will run for mayor of New York City in
an election this year that he is an early favourite to
win.
Yang, 46, announced his run on Twitter Wednesday, posting a
video of him skateboarding with his wife on the Brooklyn
Bridge.
The son of Taiwanese immigrants — running as a Democratic
candidate — said he would aim to reverse the fortunes of a city
shaken by the coronavirus pandemic.
“I moved to New York City 25 years ago. I came of age, fell in
love, and became a father here. Seeing our City in so much pain
breaks my heart,” he wrote.
The lawyer turned tech entrepreneur would become the city’s
first-ever Asian-American mayor.
His mastery of social networks, fervent support within the “Yang
Gang,” and fundraising skills placed him among the heavyweights of
the presidential election.
But he eventually threw in the towel after the New Hampshire
primary in February 2020 in a race won by President-elect Joe
Biden.
Yang has been criticised by some for spending too much time
outside the city he aims to lead. He spent the last few weeks in
Georgia, helping the Democrats to win two key seats in the US
Senate.
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The election to decide Bill de Blasio’s successor is scheduled
for November 2, but in the Democratic stronghold of New York the
race will effectively start in the party’s mayoral primary on June
22.
Economic recovery is set to be a central theme in the election
to lead a city that suffered a severe financial hit when
coronavirus was first recorded there in the spring.
Many businesses have closed, unemployment and crime are rising,
and a budget crisis is looming, raising fears that the city may
return to its dark days of the 1970s and 1980s.
Around 30 candidates will jostle to win the Democratic
primary.
In a December poll, Yang was the most popular candidate even
though he had not yet announced his run. He was almost tied with
Eric Adams, a Black former police officer who has served as
Brooklyn borough president since 2013.
Another prominent candidate is Raymond McGuire, one of New
York’s most respected Black bankers, who has the support of Wall
Street and the business community.
A political novice, he has already raised more than $5 million
for his campaign, according to the New York Times.