Former presidential candidate and entrepreneur Andrew Yang have filed papers to run for mayor of New York City in the 2021 elections. He filed paperwork with the city's campaign finance board on Wednesday.
The news, which was first reported by NBC 4 New York, comes hardly as a surprise, considering Yang is a former 2020 U.S. presidential contender. The move also sets him up to participate in an already crowded Democratic race six months ahead of a primary that will determine the 2021 mayor.
A financial form for his potential campaign was filed with New York's Campaign Finance Board earlier this week. The finance board's list of 2021 citywide candidates now features Yang as a mayoral contender.
It is worth mentioning here that the paperwork does not confirm that Yang is running, and he has so far made no campaign contributions. A source close to him told CBS News that the aforesaid steps are nothing more than "procedural," adding that no decision has been made.
However, the source told the website that considering Yang is seriously considering it, this was the necessary next step. A charter school advocacy group, Education Reform Now Advocacy, released a poll this week, showing Yang as the top candidate for the city's next mayor, despite not filing paperwork or announcing a campaign.
Yang garnered 17 percent more support than other candidates, and 1 percent more than the Brooklyn borough president, Eric Adams, who is also seen as a leading candidate. According to sources, Yang was also being considered as a possible contender for U.S. Commerce Secretary in President-elect Joe Biden's incoming administration. Still, one source said running for mayor would conflict with that.
Paperwork for the mayor's race has been filed by nearly forty people, including several tech and finance segments. Yang, who never held elected office, launched his first campaign when he announced his Democratic presidential bid.
Yang even outperformed the city's current mayor Bill de Blasio in the White House race. De Blasio concluded his 4-month campaign after polling in single digits and endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders. He will be term-limited out of office next year.
Yang's run lapped over the late and brief presidential campaign of former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who came before de Blasio. Yang rose to popularity for his Universal Basic Income platform for dolling out $1,000 a month to all Americans over the age of 18. Much to his chagrin, his presidential bid did not win many voters.