Entrepreneur and former Democrat presidential candidate Andrew Yang has privately expressed his intention to run for mayor of New York City, the New York Times reported Friday.
According to the outlet, Yang “has been privately telling New York City leaders that he intends to run for mayor next year,” though he is not expected to make a formal announcement until January.
Yang, who rose to Democrat primary fame after pitching a Universal Basic Income (UBI), has reportedly met with Corey Johnson (D), the speaker of the City Council, and has “enlisted Bradley Tusk and Chris Coffey, prominent political strategists who worked for former Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, as advisers,” per the Times.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) is unable to run next year due to term limits.
However, Yang would not confirm his intention to the outlet, telling the Times that he is “thrilled that people seem excited about my doing what I can to help” but adding that he is currently “focused on these Senate races in Georgia.”
Indeed, the businessman has devoted his time post-election to the Georgia Senate runoffs and came under fire alongside other Democrats after some appeared to suggest that Democrats from out of state should flood the Peach State to help ensure Democrat victories for Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock.
Victories for both Ossoff and Warnock would result in a 50-50 split in the Senate, giving power to the party occupying the White House.
“The best thing we could do for Joe is to get him a Democratic Senate. There should be coordination of resources,” Yang said in a November 6 tweet, encouraging everyone who campaigned for former Vice President Joe Biden to “get ready to head to Georgia”:
There isn’t much time. The earliest date for absentee ballots to be mailed for the runoff is Nov. 18. The registration deadline is Dec. 7. The In-person early voting begins Dec. 14.
— Andrew Yang🇺🇸 (@AndrewYang) November 6, 2020
As Breitbart News reported, “it is illegal, unless a) you are moving permanently to Georgia, and b) you did not already vote in another Senate election in 2020” to move to Georgia to register to vote in the January 5 runoff.
Earlier this year, Yang signaled that he was open to a 2024 presidential bid, regardless if a Democrat won the White House in 2020.
“So one thing I will say to you — if the Democrats were to win this year, that would not preclude me from running in 2024 if I thought that was a better approach to solve the problems that I care so deeply about that are wrecking our lives and communities in many, many cases,” he said in a May interview.
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