Former Democrat Presidential Candidate Yang Announces Run for NYC Mayor

Then-Democrat presidential candidate Andrew Yang speaks during a campaign event at Hopkinton Town Hall in Hopkinton, N.H., on Feb. 9, 2020. (Scott Eisen/Getty Images)

Former Democrat presidential hopeful Andrew Yang says he's joining the race to become New York City's next mayor.

Yang, 46, a technology entrepreneur, said in a video on Jan. 14 that "seeing my city the way it is now breaks my heart."

"We need to realize Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of a guaranteed minimum income and get cash into the hands of people who need it most," he said. "We'll bring New York City into the 21st century by getting everyone high-speed internet so our kids can learn, hire more teachers, and reduce the class sizes. I think that makes a big difference."

Yang also vowed to "take back control of our subway," and he touched on the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, calling what happened to them "inhumane."

"I'm running for mayor for my two boys, for you, and for every New Yorker. Let's fight for a future in New York City that we can all be proud of," he said.

The city will elect a new mayor this year since Bill de Blasio, a Democrat who is in his second term, is restricted by term limits.

New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer in New York City on May 20, 2014. (Samira Bouaou/ The Epoch Times)

More than a dozen candidates have announced bids to replace de Blasio, including former mayoral counsel Maya Wiley, Comptroller Scott Stringer, and Councilman Carlos Menchaca.

The primaries will take place in June. They'll mark the first time the city will use ranked-choice voting, which lets voters choose multiple candidates in order of preference instead of just one. The winner of the Democrat primary usually goes on to win the race in New York City.

Yang, who filed paperwork for a campaign last month, exited the Democrat presidential race in February 2020 before endorsing now-President-elect Joe Biden a month later.

“I am the math guy, and it is clear tonight from the numbers that we are not going to win this race,” Yang said when quitting the race.

His most notable proposal during his bid was for a universal basic income that would give all Americans $1,000 a month. He said the money would be funded through consolidating welfare programs and imposing a new tax of 10 percent.