- The Washington Times - Wednesday, December 9, 2020

Andrew Yang has reached out to local elected officials in New York City to gauge support for a mayoral run by the former Democratic presidential hopeful, a report said Tuesday.

Mr. Yang has also spoken with Tusk Strategies, a consulting firm that has similarly been assessing what support a mayoral campaign might have, Politico reported, citing several unnamed sources.

The reporting is the latest indication Mr. Yang, a corporate lawyer-turned-entrepreneur, could be readying a bid for mayor of New York City months after initial murmurings about a run.

Mr. Yang, 45, ended his long-shot campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in February, and the following month he endorsed the party’s eventual pick, Joseph R. Biden.

In the months since, Mr. Yang has publicly discussed the possibility of running for New York mayor next fall and potentially succeeding Bill de Blasio, another Democrat and former White House hopeful.

Mr. Yang, who was born in Schenectady and has lived in Manhattan, said in April that allies of Mr. de Blasio’s predecessor, former New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, asked him about running.

“I do love New York, and I do love executive positions that allow you to roll your sleeves up and get things done,” Mr. Yang said at the time.

More recently, a poll conducted of 1,000 likely Democratic voters found 20% of respondents identified Mr. Yang as their top pick in the 2021 mayoral primary, The New York Post reported Tuesday.

A message requesting comment from Mr. Yang was not immediately returned.

• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.

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