MANCHESTER, N.H. — Tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang on Tuesday announced he is suspending his bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.
“It is clear tonight from the numbers that we are not going to win this race,” he told supporters in New Hampshire, while vowing that the “Yang Gang” isn’t going anywhere.
“While we did not win this election, we are just getting started,” he said. “This is the beginning. This movement is the future of American politics. This movement is the future of the Democratic Party.”
He made the announcement shortly after all of the polls closed in New Hampshire at 8 p.m. eastern time.
Mr. Yang, best known for his proposal to give every American a $1,000-per-month stipend, has attracted a loyal band of followers and separated himself from the rest of the Democratic field by stressing the dangers of automation on the U.S. economy.
He was serenaded by supporters with chants of “2024! 2024!”
Mr. Yang once again hammered home his message about the threat of automation and the need for a “universal basic income.”
“One of the things I’m most proud of is we gave $1,000 a month to 13 families around the country,” said Mr. Yang, describing the pilot program he launched for his universal income plan.
“Our signature proposal…has become part of the mainstream conversation,” he said.
“We’ve accomplished so much together,” he said. “We have brought a message of humanity first and a vision of an economy and society that works for us and our families to billions of Americans.”
He vowed to support whoever does ultimately win the Democratic nomination.
He also repeated another message he’s tried to hammer home, saying that President Trump is not a “cause” of all the problems in the country, but rather the “symptom of a disease” that’s been building for years.
He qualified for most of the Democratic National Committee’s presidential debates, but didn’t win any delegates in Iowa and appeared on his way to finishing outside the top five in New Hampshire.
Though he doesn’t necessarily fit neatly into a liberal or moderate “lane,” he said ahead of the Iowa caucuses that he wouldn’t be surprised if his supporters gravitated toward Sen. Bernard Sanders of Vermont in later rounds.
• S.A. Miller contributed to this report. He and Seth McLaughlin reported from Washington.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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