37 Facts About Andrew Yang

1.

Andrew Yang is best known for being a candidate in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries and the 2021 New York City Democratic mayoral primary.

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2.

Andrew Yang is the co-chair of the Forward Party, alongside former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman.

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3.

Son of Taiwanese immigrants, Andrew Yang was born and raised in New York State.

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4.

Andrew Yang became a prominent candidate in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries.

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5.

Andrew Yang has been credited with popularizing the idea of universal basic income through his candidacy and activism.

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6.

Andrew Yang conceded the race shortly after the initial ranked choice votes were released, which placed him fourth.

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7.

Later in October 2021, Andrew Yang founded the Forward Party – a centrist political action committee.

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8.

Andrew Yang's parents emigrated from Taiwan to the U S in the 1960s and met in graduate school at the University of California, Berkeley.

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9.

Andrew Yang's mother graduated with a master's degree in statistics before becoming a systems administrator at a university, and later an artist.

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10.

Andrew Yang has an older brother, Lawrence, who is a psychology professor at New York University.

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11.

Andrew Yang has described being bullied and called racial slurs by classmates while attending public school, in part because he was one of the smaller children in his class after skipping a grade.

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12.

Andrew Yang attended Phillips Exeter Academy, a boarding school in New Hampshire.

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13.

Andrew Yang then attended Columbia Law School, earning a Juris Doctor in 1999.

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14.

Andrew Yang later described the job as "a pie-eating contest, and if you won, your prize was more pie".

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15.

Andrew Yang left the law firm after five months, which he has called "the five worst months of my life".

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16.

In February 2000, Andrew Yang joined his office mate, Jonathan Philips, in launching Stargiving, a website for celebrity-affiliated philanthropic fundraising.

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17.

Andrew Yang became involved in other ventures, including a party-organizing business.

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18.

Andrew Yang later said it was during his time at Manhattan Prep that he became a millionaire.

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19.

In September 2019 testimony before the New York City Commission on Gender Equity, former employee Kimberly Watkins testified that Andrew Yang had fired her because he felt that she would not work as hard after getting married.

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20.

In 2011, Andrew Yang was recognized by "Champions of Change", a White House program that honored 500 people from every state for extraordinary work in their communities.

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21.

In 2015, Andrew Yang was named a Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship.

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22.

Andrew Yang stepped down from his position as CEO of VFA in March 2017 but continued to advise startups aligned with his signature policy of universal basic income during his presidential campaign.

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23.

Andrew Yang tweeted that the number of households was expected to double with additional funding.

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24.

The announcement has been met with some criticism in part due to Andrew Yang's continued launches of organizations in addition to the skepticism around cryptocurrency ventures.

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25.

In 2011, Andrew Yang was named a "Champion of Change" by the Obama administration.

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26.

Andrew Yang later appeared on other podcasts and shows, including The Breakfast Club, The Ben Shapiro Show, and Real Time with Bill Maher.

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27.

Andrew Yang's campaign was known for its heavy reliance on Internet-based campaigning.

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28.

Andrew Yang was at least the third American of East Asian descent to run for President of the United States, after Hiram Fong and Patsy Mink.

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29.

Andrew Yang said he understood Sanders supporters' frustration, but that beating Trump was the most important objective.

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30.

In November 2020, Andrew Yang announced that he and his wife were moving to Atlanta to assist Raphael Warnock's and Jon Ossoff's campaigns in the January 2021 Georgia Senate runoff elections.

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31.

Andrew Yang suggested that he serve in a new role, Secretary of Technology and Innovation.

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32.

Andrew Yang himself had not voted in a municipal election since 2001.

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33.

Andrew Yang emerged as a front-runner after entering the race, and maintained a steady lead in polls; starting in May 2021, Yang's lead shrank as Eric Adams emerged as another front-runner.

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34.

Andrew Yang said the group would start as a social movement and political action committee, and eventually petition the FEC for formal recognition as a political party.

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35.

Andrew Yang has been married to Evelyn Andrew Yang since 2011; the couple have two sons.

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36.

In 2019, Andrew Yang reported on his tax return that he rented out this home for 58 days to friends or on Airbnb.

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37.

In 2020, Andrew Yang received the 2021 Vilcek Prize for Excellence in Public Service, awarded by the Vilcek Foundation.

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