By Staff
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Yang high-fived his supporters. (Photo by George Liu)
Andrew Yang announced in an email to supporters on Feb. 11 that he is suspending his campaign for president.
“This is not an easy decision,” he said. “Endings are hard and I’ve always intended to stay in this race until the very end. But I have been convinced that the message of this campaign will not be strengthened by my staying in this race any longer.”
Thousands of voters came out in support of the entrepreneur in the New Hampshire primary on Feb. 11, but it wasn’t enough.
“It is not the outcome we fought so hard for,” wrote Yang. “It is bitterly disappointing for many of us.”
The son of immigrants from Taiwan, Yang made two campaign stops in Seattle last year. His push for what became known as the Freedom Dividend — a $1,000-a-month universal basic income to all adult Americans — made him a real contender for the 2020 Democratic nomination. But he suspended his presidential run before the final results came in on New Hampshire primary night.
He said he will support whoever ends up becoming the Democratic nominee, and he urged his fellow Democrats to heed this caution:
“Donald Trump is not the cause of all of our problems. He is a symptom. We must cure the disease that got him elected, and in order to do that, we must address the real problems that affect our people and offer solutions to actually solve them.”
Last week, Yang earned a spot at the debate in New Hampshire — the only candidate of color to do so — mostly on the strength of his rapport with voters there. He arrived from Iowa apparently without any pledged delegates, and in the aftermath of that performance has fired members of his campaign staff.
“Thank you for your incredible support these past months,” Yang said. “You all have uplifted me and inspired me and Evelyn and this campaign at every turn.”