NYC Mayor Andrew Yang?

Some speculation about a 2021 mayoral run [Politics Brief from WNYC + Gothamist] [Keep friends and family informed. Forward the Politics Brief.]( You Never Know... By [James Ramsay]( [A tweet from Bloomberg adviser Howard Wolfson saying "Andrew Yang would make a very interesting candidate for NYC Mayor in 21."]( It's a Friday before a long weekend, so we'll indulge in some thinly-founded speculation: What if Andrew Yang ran for mayor in New York City? "It’s a natural next step," Howard Wolfson, a top adviser to Michael Bloomberg, [told the New York Post](. "With the notoriety and following he’s gathered, he has to be taken seriously." Yang, who dropped out of the presidential race on Tuesday, confirmed to the [New York Times]( that he isn't ruling out a mayoral run in 2021. "Certainly people have been reaching out with various questions about the future, which is invigorating," he said. "We’re looking at different ways forward." Yang's signature legislative proposal — a universal basic income of $1,000 a month for every American — earned him a devoted and eclectic following. The Yang Gang, as his supporters called themselves, included figures such as [Nicholas Cage and Dave Chappelle](. Though his bold ideas sometimes flirted with gimmickry ("I'm literally trying to give everybody money," [he once tweeted]( his candidacy was more than a novelty. As one [Wired]( headline read last fall, "Andrew Yang Is Not Full of Shit." And he came away from the race with the respect of more established political figures. "You ran a great race, @AndrewYang," [Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted]( after Yang dropped out. "Your campaign focused on the future, and looked like you were having a lot of fun doing it. "Thank you for bringing up ideas like UBI and opening a discourse on how we better value undervalued work like caregiving." Bloomberg himself [also praised]( the energy and ideas Yang brought to addressing climate change and income inequality. A lifelong New Yorker, Yang grew up in Westchester and currently lives in Manhattan. In an interview with [City & State]( last March, Yang promoted the idea of New York City taking more initiative on issues like regulating Big Tech, because "waiting for Washington to get something done might be forever." The Times this week asked Yang if New York City should have a "small-scale universal basic income." "I think New York City should do a large-scale universal basic income," he replied. "To me, that seems obvious." Today's Deadline Marks Progress For New York Voters If you want to vote in the Democratic primary on April 28th but you're currently registered as something other than a Democrat, today — TODAY! — is the last day to fix that. (If you're not yet registered to vote in New York, your registration form must be received by the board of elections [no later than April 8th]( Step one: Fill out a voter registration form, which [can be downloaded online]( and comes in 16 different languages (though it but must be completed in English). You can also find one at a library, post office, or most New York City government agency buildings. Step two: Hand-deliver it to a [local Board of Elections office]( by the end of the day. If you're changing your party affiliation, pay special attention to field 14, and check the box next to the party you want to join. [a screenshot of the party affiliation section of the voter registration form] NYC Board of Elections If it seems restrictive or burdensome to have to make this change so far ahead of time, it could've been worse. In 2016, the deadline to change your party affiliation was the October before the primary. That caught [many would-be Bernie Sanders voters]( by surprise, since they'd missed the deadline to become eligible for the Democratic Party's closed primary. (Sanders himself is an independent, not a registered Democrat.) Today's deadline is actually the result of an [election reform package]( passed by the Democrat-controlled state legislature in Albany last year. In addition to this tweaked deadline, New York now has early voting and pre-enrollment for 16- and 17-year-olds. Two constitutional amendments — one for same-day voter registration, the other for vote-by-mail legislation — passed their first step. Those measures will now need to pass in another legislative session before ending up as questions on your ballot. ([Gothamist]( 21 Minutes With A Democrat Challenging Jeff Van Drew Amy Kennedy, a former public school teacher and fourth-generation South Jersey resident, had never run for public office until last month. Then again, Rep. Jeff Van Drew, who represents her district (NJ -2), had never been a Republican — until he voted against impeachment, formally left the Democratic party, and welcomed President Trump to a rally in South Jersey, all in the last couple months. Now, Kennedy — the wife of former Rhode Island Rep. Patrick Kennedy and daughter-in-law of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy — is one of [eight Democrats]( suddenly running to unseat Van Drew, a first-term congressman who'd turned the district blue in 2018. On Politico's Women Rule podcast this week, Kennedy talked at length about one of her key issues: addressing mental health, both for students and adults. "It's still considered a moral failing," she said. "We have not invested in the brain research we know needs to happen for people to understand what's really going on behind all of the behaviors we see. "And we have the president diagnosing [headaches]( instead of PTS or TBI," she added. "These are brain injuries — people have real health challenges. This is health care, not a moral failing." She also talked about marrying into the Kennedy political dynasty, and the joys of sailing and lawn activities with her famous family. ([Politico]( When Civility And Unity Aren't Necessarily The Way Forward [Pete Buttigieg and Joe Biden politely shake hands in front of Bernie Sanders, looking less than thrilled] Charles Krupa/AP In the 1850s, most Republicans — including Abraham Lincoln — wanted to put slavery on a course toward gradual extinction, containing it to the South until it theoretically died out. They all agreed that slavery was bad; they just didn't want to start a confrontation (e.g. a civil war). "Most of the party believed they could bend institutions toward justice, and avoid a horrific rupture to the country," explains Kai Wright, host of WNYC's The United States of Anxiety. "The radicals argued that the only way forward was to accept that rupture." [In this week's episode]( he looks at a major issue within the current Democratic Party — is it best to lead towards civility, or the ugliness required for fundamental change — through the lens of a time in American history when we made the "radical" choice, for the best. [A logo for the new show, "Brian Lehrer: a daily politics podcast"]( Joan Walsh: 'If You Like Her, Vote For Her' The Nation's Joan Walsh tackles Bloomberg's record, the media's treatment of Warren, and the left's homophobia aimed at Mayor Pete. As primary voting gets underway, we want to hear what you want out of WNYC's politics newsletter. Send your feedback and suggestions to james@wnyc.org. Thanks! Support WNYC + Gothamist Make a donation to support local, independent journalism. Your contributions are our largest source of funding and pays for essential election coverage and more. [Donate]( Copyright © 2020 New York Public Radio, All rights reserved. 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