After much speculation, Andrew Yang is one step closer to joining the race for New York City mayor.
NYC's Campaign Finance Board confirmed Wednesday that Yang has filed paperwork for the 2021 elections, joining more than 30 other candidates who are seeking to replace current NYC mayor Bill de Blasio, whose term is coming to an end. The 45-year-old tech entrepreneur entered the national spotlight this year as an underdog candidate in the Democratic presidential primary. Yang's signature policy proposal was the "Freedom Dividend," a universal basic income that would provide $1,000 per month to adult Americans.
Shortly after the filing was reported, Yang's political consultant Chris Coffey took to Twitter to provide some clarification. Coffey stresses that Yang has not officially announced a bid for NYC and is not taking campaign donations at this time.
"No change in status," Coffey tweeted in response to a headline about Yang's potential candidacy. "He’ll decide after January 1st. Not taking donations now. This is only a procedural thing."
As pointed out by NBC New York, two recent polls show Yang at the top of the list of possible mayoral candidates. One survey showed him leading the field with 17 percent of the vote, just a 1-point lead over Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. It's also worth noting that none of the other candidates garnered more than 10 percent of the vote, and nearly half of voters said they were unsure about who they would support.
NYC's Democratic primary will take place June 22, 2021. Stay tuned as more information about Yang's potential run becomes available.
