Former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang launched his campaign for mayor of New York on Thursday – hoping to replace Bill de Blasio, who is stepping down from office with an audacious proposal for a universal basic income as an employment policy. headline.
“I’m running for mayor for a very simple reason – I see a crisis and I believe I can help,” he said, citing the COVID crisis, as well as high unemployment at the Big Apple.
ANDREW YANG ANNOUNCES BIDDING FOR New York City Hall
Yang spoke in Morningside Heights, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, after announcing his campaign on Wednesday night.
“We need bold ideas and new ideas to revive our city,” he said. “We need to look ahead and adapt to the economic challenges of today and the future. We also need a city hall focused on competence and serving our people every day ”.
He urged the city to move away from political blame games: “When, in reality, people are losing and it is destroying our city.”
Yang could set up a relatively moderate candidacy in a field of left-wing Democratic aspirants. He described his platform as “a positive vision for New York City and a rational and progressive plan to implement it and make it a reality”.
He is widely seen as one of the pioneers and has been surrounded by speculation and interest since he filed the paperwork last month.
If his bid is successful, he will replace Blasio’s left-back, who cannot play in a third team. De Blasio has been dueling with Governor Andrew Cuomo over the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Hizzoner received applause from the left for implementing the universal pre-K program, but his 2020 was consumed by the battles of the pandemic and the reopening of schools, in addition to the increase in crime.
Yang, 46, was born in Schenectady, New York, and his parents are immigrants from Taiwan. He moved to the Big Apple when he was 21. In the 2020 primaries, he praised his experience in tech startups and gained passionate followers who became known as the “Yang Gang”.
His universal basic income proved popular with Democrats and won over other candidates in the field – resurfacing amid questions of how to stimulate the economy in the COVID era.
He asked for it again in New York, calling it “the biggest basic income program in the history of the country”.
Yang’s New York City policy would start by giving those classified as living in “extreme poverty” about $ 2,000 a year.
“This program can then grow over time, as it receives more funding from public and philanthropic organizations, with a view to ending poverty in New York City,” he says on his campaign website.
Illegal immigrants would be eligible for the program, although it did not replace current forms of well-being. He separately proposed a New York City People’s Bank.
He is likely to face a crowded list of Democratic opponents before the Democratic primaries in June. Other early mayoral candidates include New York City controller Scott Stringer and Brooklyn Neighborhood President Eric Adams.
Whoever wins the primaries is likely to be the favorite against any Republican opponent in the overwhelmingly democratic city.
Yang was attacked by rivals in the primaries after telling The New York Times that he had decided to move because of the tight conditions in his two-bedroom apartment. Detractors pointed out that New York residents have been facing the same scenario for months, usually in smaller apartments than his. But Yang ignored the criticism.
“Every parent in New York has struggled to educate our children in a time of COVID. I am proud to live, work and raise my children in this city for 25 years,” said Yang in response to criticism. “After COVID closed our public schools, we took our two children, including my autistic son, to upstate New York to help him adapt to our new normal.”
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On the pandemic, he is prioritizing an impulse for the reopening of New York City, noting the damage that the blockages have caused to the economy. He called for the reopening of schools and businesses, but also emphasized the reopening of the “fun” side of the city.
“New York needs to be the first big city to reopen, and that means reopening everything that makes us who we are,” he says on his campaign website. “Our restaurants, our toy houses, our parks, our events – we sacrifice ourselves for the common good and deserve to make New York City fun again.”
He also called for the “biggest post-COVID celebration” in the world and for travel cocktails to become a permanent fixture – noting their popularity in New York confinement – as well as legalizing marijuana.
Thomas Barrabi of Fox News contributed to this report.