Following unsuccessful attempts for president and mayor of New York City, Andrew Yang quit the Democratic Party last year, and he’s been a vocal critic of the party ever since. However, his animosity does not prevent him from becoming involved in local politics.
Andrew Yang is endorsing Suraj Patel in his third effort to unseat Rep. Carolyn Maloney, a 29-year stalwart on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Yang finished fourth in the mayor’s race last year after a promising start.
Given their combined six decades in Congress, the two attacked Maloney and her top opponent, Rep. Jerry Nadler, as stodgy and out of touch during a press conference in Midtown Manhattan on Monday afternoon.
He is instead supporting Democrat Suraj Patel, who worked on President Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns and in the White House, in the election for New York’s 12th District.
Andrew Yang Backs Patel Against Heavyweights Nadler And Maloney
Parts of Nadler’s Upper West Side district in Manhattan have been united with parts of Maloney’s Upper East Side district in new redistricting maps, pitting two of New York’s longest-serving members of Congress against each other in an August primary.
Yang claimed during the endorsement Monday afternoon that Patel is exactly the kind of next-generation leader that we’ve been looking for. He compared Patel, a 38-year-old technologically adept attorney, to the doddering “fixtures” he’s up against in New York’s 12th Congressional District.
Yang further went on to pose a question on whether we would want someone who would be on the edge of retirement the next time the Democrats really have a chance to make a difference or are should we be looking for someone with a fresh outlook on his early 40’s just building seniority and representing districts and community for years to come.
Andrew Yang went on to explain that we’re well aware that we’ll require the latter. As it is we are all tired of the seniority that keeps them in the office as it is they have long lost touch with their communities and common voters. Yang, on the other hand, is unable to back up his support with a vote.
Andrew Yang said that he will leave the Democratic Party and register as a political independent after losing to Mayor Eric Adams last year. The entrepreneur-turned-candidate addressed his displeasure with partisan politics in a blast email titled “Breaking Up with the Democratic Party” sent out on Oct. 4 titled “Breaking Up with the Democratic Party.”
However, there’s a difference in opinion with regard to the party affiliation between Yang and Patel. Yang praised Patel’s move to condemn corporate PAC money before criticizing former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s bid for a separate congressional district on the Brooklyn-Manhattan border. However people have been critical of Andrew Yang’s endorsement