Can Andrew Yang Live Up To The Hype?

On the campaign trail with the celebrity candidate [View this email in your browser]( [Keep friends and family informed. Forward the Politics Brief.]( On The Campaign Trail, Andrew Yang Tries To Live Up To The Hype By Brigid Bergin [Andrew Yang outside a subway station] Brigid Bergin/Gothamist When Andrew Yang jumped into the Democratic race for New York City mayor back in January, he became an immediate frontrunner, buoyed by name recognition from his presidential bid and his more than one million social media followers. Now, with less than a month before the primary, New Yorkers — and not just journalists — are asking tough questions, checking if this celebrity candidate has what it takes to lead the city. "Go clean up the 28th [Precinct]. They have at least a hundred cars parked there," said Cheryl Malter, a yoga instructor who lives in Harlem, where [Yang was campaigning last Thursday](. She wasn't curious about the modified Universal Basic Income idea that made Yang famous. Rather, she jumped right to the perennial issue of parking placard abuse, a problem Mayor Bill de Blasio and his predecessors failed to fix. Malter then stuck around to get her picture with Yang — who reassured her that he planned to clean up the parking issue — because she said she’s never been photographed with a presidential candidate before. But she’s not swayed to vote for him. [The job of mayor]( — one that she doesn’t understand why anyone would want — should go to someone who has devoted their life to the city. "It's just intuitively, as a New Yorker, I want a New Yorker to run it," she said, whispering, "and I don't know if he's a New Yorker." (Yang was born in New York and moved to New York City [25 years ago]( It’s a criticism that’s come up before, over [his definition of a bodega]( and how he and his family went upstate during the pandemic last summer. But as Yang strutted across 125th Street, past the Apollo Theatre and the street vendors setting up for the day, voters were drawn to his celebrity status. "Mr. Yang. Hello, how are you?" shouted an animated Carl Brown, who struck up the conversation as he saw Yang and his team approach. "I don't know who to vote for, you or my homeboy Adams," he added. Yang gave a pitch for ranked-choice voting, which allows voters to choose up to five candidates in order of preference, adding he’d prefer to be his number one, but he’ll take his number two. Brown said rising crime was the top issue for him at the ballot box this year. "I'm 59 years old," Brown told Yang. "Back in the day they be selling their drugs, but it wasn't that much, like shooting. This young generation right now, they out of control." Yang listened, posed for a photo, and pledged to address the issue. "Nothing is going to work if we don't get people feeling like they're able to walk outside," Yang said. And that was all it took for Brown to say he was persuaded, and would vote for Yang. "Thank you, man, that means a lot to me," Yang told him. "And by the way, I would never have guessed you are 59." Yang’s plan to address crime and reform policing was supposed to be the centerpiece of the day. But at a stop later that morning in Brooklyn, his announcement was interrupted by a heckler holding a Maya Wiley sign who shouted throughout the press conference about [Yang's voting record]( He has never voted in a local election and missed a couple presidential elections, too. The incident left Yang apparently flustered and his policy announcement, about creating a warning system to track repeat low-level offenders, was tough to parse. [When a reporter asked about police disciplinary records]( an issue that has been covered extensively since last summer, he seemed confused. It was not the best day on the stump, but Yang put on a brave face, saying it’s expected that New Yorkers will speak their minds, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. "Running for mayor has been a blast because you do hear so much and learn so much from people," he said. His supporters and campaign team seemed unfazed. "Is there room for Andrew to grow? Absolutely. Is there room for him to be a better, more effective executive person? Hundred percent," Assemblymember Ron Kim told Gothamist on Sunday. Kim, who endorsed Yang back in January, said what some may see as Yang’s inexperience could also be interpreted as flexibility, a willingness to try new approaches to help the city recover from the pandemic. A few days later, Yang picked up [a major endorsement from State Senator John Liu]( the first Asian American to win citywide office when he became comptroller in 2010. "Andrew, he's got a talent for thinking out loud," said Liu. "Sometimes it gets him in trouble, but he's thinking out loud." Asked whether Yang knew enough about City Hall to do the job, Liu downplayed the concerns. "We have seen candidates with character gaps. We have seen candidates with integrity gaps...if people are going to snipe at Andrew Yang because of some of the, you know, New York City knowledge or New York City cultural gaps," said Liu, "I think he'll be fine." Do you have a question about this year's races, the ranked-choice voting system, where the mayoral candidates stand on bagel orders, or anything else happening this election season? Send your questions to tips@gothamist.com with the subject line, Ask An Election Reporter! Gothamist Guides To The 2021 Election [prospect park, full of people] How Will NYC's Next Mayor Invest In City Parks? [Here's]( what the candidates have said on funding and disparities when it comes to public parks. [Mayor Bill de Blasio cycles down a bike path on a Citi Bike] Where The Mayoral Candidates Stand On Vision Zero's Future [Here's]( how each of the candidates plan to reduce traffic deaths in New York City. [a close-up of a "Cancel Rent" sign at a protest] How The Mayoral Candidates Would Make Housing More Affordable Here's [a breakdown]( of each candidate's approach to affordable housing. [an "Abolish the Police" sign hangs over a subway entrance] "Defund" The NYPD: What It Means And Where Democratic Mayoral Candidates Stand On It Your [guide]( to the candidates' positions on policing. Here's What Else Is Happening After widespread pushback, the 2nd Democratic mayoral primary debate will be held in person, rather than over Zoom. After six of the leading candidates sent a letter to the Campaign Finance Board arguing that if "county fairs and music festivals" could happen in person, so could a crucial debate, the CFB and WABC-TV agreed to the change. The June 2nd debate will be broadcast live from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. for free on ABC7NY's digital platform. ([Gothamist]( It might be mid-July before we know the winner of the mayoral primaries. The city's Board of Elections said it plans to release unofficial results on the night of the June 22nd primary. But in order to allow absentee ballots to come in — and then to give voters time to correct their ballot errors — an official result won't be available before the week of July 12th. ([Gothamist]( A new poll that accounts for ranked-choice voting shows the second-place mayoral candidate coming from behind to win. The poll, which was commissioned by the right-leaning Manhattan Institute, had Andrew Yang earning 22% of the first-place votes and Eric Adams with 21% — but when the whole election was gamed out based on the full responses, Adams came out ahead. While the history of ranked-choice voting indicates that it's unlikely for a second-place candidate to win, it did happen in Oakland's 2010 mayoral election. ([City & State]( A different poll, which Politico obtained in advance, has Kathryn Garcia in the top spot with the support of 21% of likely voters. The Emerson College/PIX11 poll, which is set to publish at 6 p.m., has Eric Adams in second place at 20%. This comes after Garcia earned endorsements from both the New York Times and New York Daily News editorial boards. ([Politico]( Rep. Adriano Espaillat has now endorsed Eric Adams for mayor. Espaillat, the influential Dominican-American congressman who could help Adams win over a crucial bloc of Latino voters, had previously backed Scott Stringer, but withdrew his endorsement after a former campaign volunteer accused Stringer of sexual assault. In announcing his new endorsement, Espaillat hailed Adams as someone who'd be "a blue-collar mayor." ([Gothamist]( Eric Adams is also still sitting on 45% of the money he's raised, giving him an advantage heading into the final stretch. Adams currently has about $4.4 million to spend on ads these next few weeks, while Maya Wiley, Andrew Yang, and Scott Stringer — three of the highest-polling candidates besides Adams — all have a much smaller fraction of their campaign money left as they seek the top spot. ([Gothamist]( Dianne Morales, who has yet to air a TV commercial, said she's banking on the support of voters who "aren't sitting at home watching these forums." The former nonprofit CEO has earned a following among left-leaning New Yorkers and distinguished herself from fellow progressive Maya Wiley by being more straightforward on certain issues (e.g., Morales wants to cut $3 billion from the NYPD'd budget). But with only a few weeks to go until the primary, Morales is racing to ensure that enough voters know who she is. ([Politico]( The two Republican mayoral candidates will face off in their first debate tomorrow night. The debate between Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa and uptown restaurant investor Fernando Mateo, who are both seeking the Republican mayoral nomination, will be co-moderated by NY1's Errol Louis, WNYC's Brian Lehrer, and THE CITY's Josefa Velasquez, and will air live at 7 p.m. on both NY1 and WNYC. ([WNYC]( [BL pod] The Latest Update On The Mayoral Race WNYC's Brigid Bergin and NY1's Errol Louis dive into the latest news in the mayoral primary contest. 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 © 2021 New York Public Radio, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: New York Public Radio 160 Varick Street New York, NY 10013 [unsubscribe]( [update preferences]( [privacy policy](