Black Male Former New York Police Officer Eric Adams Ranks First
[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Andrew Yang, a Democratic primary candidate who challenged to become the first Asian American mayor of New York, has declared his withdrawal.
Yang decided to drop out after placing 4th with 11.5% in the preliminary election mid-count on the 22nd (local time), according to major foreign media reports.
According to The New York Times (NYT), he met supporters in front of a Manhattan hotel that day and said, "Looking at the current vote count, I cannot become the next mayor of New York," announcing his intention to quit the primary.
Yang said, "My wife and I believed we could help this society, but it seems that role is not as New York mayor and New York First Lady," adding, "Whoever becomes the party nominee, I want to cooperate with them and work for New York."
As a second-generation Taiwanese immigrant, he initially raised expectations for the first Asian American mayor with overwhelming support but lost the lead in polling ahead of the primary.
Yang, who ran in the 2019 Democratic presidential primary with a distinctly progressive platform including universal basic income, presented relatively conservative policies this time such as increasing police forces, even drawing comments asking if he was a Republican.
This year’s election is widely expected to result in the first Black mayor. In New York, a Democratic stronghold, the winner of the Democratic primary is effectively considered the winner of the general election.
According to NYT, with 83% of votes counted, Eric Adams, a Black male candidate and former New York Police Department (NYPD) officer, is leading. Maya Wiley, a Black female civil rights attorney, is in second place, and Kathryn Garcia, a white female former New York City sanitation commissioner, is in third place.
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