The United States witnessed its first Asian-American political primary candidate in the 2020 election, Andrew Yang. However, Yang has dropped out of the race after the New Hampshire primary on Feb. 11.
Yang was known for his ‘free money’ “gimmick” which led to $9.9 million in revenue (Politico) and the hilarious “MATH” hats which poked fun at his Asian-American stereotype.
Born and raised in New York, Yang is a first-generation university and law school graduate.
He started out as a corporate attorney for a short time in New York and then launched his own celebrity-affiliated philanthropic fundraising startup with office mate Johnathan Philips. However, the attempt was unsuccessful.
Following this, Yang began work as vice president of a health startup. Afterwards he worked at Manhattan Prep, joining friend Zeke Vanderhoek and later becoming CEO.
Before his 2020 campaign, Yang worked with “Venture for America”; a nonprofit fellowship program that created new economic opportunities for Americans and helped to mobilize next generation entrepreneurs.
Yang’s work accredited him for the 2011 selection of a “Champion of Change” and he was also recognized as a “Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship” in 2015.
Yang’s 2020 campaign trail began in 2017 when he filed with the Federal Election Commission to participate in the democratic primaries. His campaign spanned for little over 2 years, ending after the New Hampshire primaries due to a lack of support from possible voters.
Yang’s Campaign slogan was “Freedom Undivided” which related to his ordeal of giving out $1000 dollars a month to working adults. This was deemed unorthodox by many. His campaign was even being deemed ‘a longshot’, by outlets such as Fox News and Vox.
As his campaign progressed, Yang made appearances on shows like Anderson Cooper 360 and the Today Show to talk about his beliefs. He also appeared at many rallies, including events in Boston, Minneapolis and New York.
Yang’s three main policies were the Freedom Dividend, Medicare for All, and Human-Centered Capitalism. These policies almost directly contrasted Trump’s campaigns and voters took note on the major differences between the two.
Yang is also an advocate for Autism, for one of his sons is on the spectrum. He’s cited calling special needs the “new normal” in this country (NPR).
Yang missed the mark for the January debate. After strategizing with his campaign manager, Yang did a 17-day bus tour of Iowa, where he promised better Medicare for the elderly. The tour was hoped to spark a miracle, and Hand later appeared in New Hampshire as well, but unfortunately still did not reach his goal for candidacy.
Andrew Yang is still hopeful. His Twitter account remains active and supportive of the debate and candidates such as Michael Bloomberg.
The inspirational pinned tweet on his page reads as “I stand before you today and say that while we did not win this election, we are just getting started.”
