The then Democratic presidential candidate, Andrew Yang, is interviewed outside Hopkinton City Hall after a campaign event on February 9, 2020 in Hopkinton, New Hampshire.
Scott Eisen | Getty Images
Businessman and ex-presidential candidate Andrew Yang filed the paperwork to run for mayor of New York, the city’s Campaign Funding Council confirmed on Wednesday.
The request came just days after a new vote gave him a slight advantage among his fellow Democrats who ran for mayor.
Yang generated a large following in the Democratic primaries for president with his appeal for universal basic income, although his widespread online popularity did not translate into votes as he expected.
But it was widely reported that he is considering running for mayor, and the Public Policy Polling poll released on Monday was the second poll in weeks to show him an edge over Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.
Yang would have 17% support in Democratic primaries, according to the PPP poll. This gives you a 1 point advantage over Adams, with all the other candidates at least 10 points behind.
The field is far from defined, however. About 40% of voters said they were not sure who they would support, and the poll also left out several declared or potential candidates, including Congressman Max Rose, who recently filed documents to explore a dispute.
New York’s primary elections will be on June 22 next year. As of Tuesday, at least 35 people had filed paperwork with the finance council to run for mayor.