Getty Andrew Yang.
Andrew Yang has officially dropped out of the Democratic presidential race. This announcement comes shortly before the final results of the New Hampshire primary have been released. Yang’s full speech announcing his decision to drop out is available below.
Yang Is Proud That Universal Basic Income Is Now a Talking Point
He starts his speech by thanking his wife Evelyn, who has supported him throughout his campaign. He continues, saying “we have brought a message of humanity first and a vision of an economy and society that works for us and our families to millions of our fellow Americans.” He says one of the things he’s the proudest of is that he gave $1000 a month to 13 families across the country. He says that his signature proposal of universal basic income (UBI) is now a talking point across the country: “We increased the popular support for universal basic income to 66% of Democrats and 72% among voters 18 to 34.”
He says that “though thousands of voters came out for our campaign tonight, tonight is not the outcome we fought so hard to achieve. It is bitterly disappointing for many of us, but it shouldn’t be,” he continues, sharing some of the positive messages he received from people during his campaign. Yang says: “I am so incredibly proud of this campaign and of what we’ve accomplished together. We have touched and improved millions of lives and moved this country we love so much in the right direction.”
He says that because he is the “math guy” it is clear to him at this point that his campaign is not going to be successful. He continues, saying he has no interest in continuing to accept donations and support in a “race that we will not win.” He adds, “tonight, I am announcing I am suspending my campaign for president.”
Yang says it wasn’t a decision that was easy to make, because he wanted to stay in the race until the end. However, he adds that he has now been convinced that his message will not be stronger with his continued presence in the race. “Endings are hard, New Hampshire, but this is not an ending, this is a beginning,” he says to cheers and applause from his supporters.
He took the opportunity to thank his team and the risk they took in building his campaign with him, joking that “very few people joined this campaign because they thought it would be a good career move.” He says he is prepared to support whoever becomes the Democratic nominee, but also added that Democratic candidates should remember that “Donald Trump is not the cause of all of our problems. He is a symptom of a disease that has been building up in our communities for years.”
Yang’s Campaign Did Not Perform As Well As He Expected
Andrew Yang did not receive the kind of results he had hoped for in Iowa. Although the New Hampshire results are not all in yet, he is currently under 3%.
He posted on Twitter shortly before his official announcement, thanking everyone who supported his campaign.
I am so proud of this campaign. Thank you to everyone who got us here. 🙏
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