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Forbes: Andrew Yang considering a run for NYC mayor

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2020 Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang is reportedly weighing a campaign for mayor of New York City, a close ally told Forbes on Monday.

The unnamed ally, only referred to as a former aide of Yang’s, told Forbes that the business and tech entrepreneur is “definitely” thinking about a bid to replace the historically unpopular and term-limited Mayor Bill de Blasio. However, Yang has not made a decision yet.

Politico first reported the newest round of speculation on Monday when it reported that a poll is asking New Yorkers which of the candidates on a list of 11 that included Yang should succeed de Blasio as mayor.

If he ultimately decides to run, Yang would automatically become one of the most well-known candidates in the already-crowded race. Other big-names who might throw their hats in the ring are CNN President Jeff Zucker and Staten Island Congressman Max Rose (D-N.Y.), Forbes said. The Democratic Party’s mayoral primary is scheduled to take place on June 22, 2021.

He rose to notoriety during his unexpectedly popular dark-horse bid to be the 2020 Democratic nominee for president. In particular, he made a name for himself in promoting the idea of universal basic income (UBI). The general idea of UBI is sending every American adult a check every month, something that has grown in popularity throughout the coronavirus pandemic, especially after a round of stimulus check sent to millions of Americans back in the springtime as part of the CARES Act.

Since dropping out of the Democratic primaries in February, Yang launched a nonprofit called Humanity Forward to continue promoting UBI. He also joined CNN as a political commentator and started his own weekly podcast called “Yang Speaks.”

Recently, Yang and his family moved down to Georgia to campaign for the pair of Democrats running in the state’s two side-by-side runoff elections for the U.S. Senate. These two runoffs will determine which political party will hold a majority, albeit a razor thin one, during the next Congress. The date of these twin runoff elections is set for January 5, 2021.

The Democrats, Jon Ossoff and Reverend Raphael Warnock, are hoping to oust their respective GOP incumbents, Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler. If the Democrats sweep both seats, they would hold 50 out of the 100 seats in the Senate and have Vice President-elect Kamala Harris as the tiebreaking vote.

You can follow Douglas Braff on Twitter @Douglas_P_Braff.

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RFK Jr. announces lifelong Democrat, advocate of left-leaning causes, CA native as running mate

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Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced Tuesday that attorney and tech entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan will be his vice presidential running mate in the upcoming election. The Independent candidate announced his choice for the 38-year-old Oakland, California native by praising her insight into “how Big Tech uses AI to manipulate the public,” her athletic ability, and willingness to be a “partner” in a number of policy areas, including on securing the border.

Fox News writes that Shanahan is a philanthropist with a long history of donating to Democrat and left-leaning causes, including supporting President Biden in his 2020 election bid before switching to Kennedy when he launched his own run for the Democrat nomination last year.

She is the founder and president of Bia-Echo Foundation, a private firm that describes its mission as focused on “new frontiers in reproductive longevity & equality, criminal justice reform and a healthy & livable planet.”

Fox News reports Shanahan initially dropped her support for Kennedy after he decided to run as an independent, but later got behind him again by giving $4 million to the super PAC that boosted his candidacy with a John F. Kennedy-themed campaign ad that ran during the Super Bowl in February.

Shanahan also previously donated to Democrat presidential candidates Marianne Williamson and Pete Buttigieg during the 2020 presidential race, and threw more than $150,000 behind progressive Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon’s 2020 election bid.

Shanahan, a life-long Democrat, told the crowd that she was leaving the party.

“The Democratic Party is supposed to be the party of compassion. It is supposed to be the party of free speech, and most importantly, the party of the middle class and the American dream,” Shanahan said.

“While I know many Democrats still abide by those values…I do believe they’ve lost their way in their leadership,” she continued.

And she urged “disillusioned” Democrats and Republicans to support Kennedy’s independent White House bid.

 

 

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