NEW YORK — Since jumping into the New York City mayoral race last month, Andrew Yang has raised $1 million, his campaign said Monday.
Factoring in the city’s matching fund system, which awards $8 in taxpayer funds for every $1 in eligible private contributions, Yang is expecting another $2 million in cash for his campaign.
“We are proud to be a people-powered campaign reliant on small-dollar donations, demonstrating how Andrew’s bold ideas for New York City are resonating widely with the electorate,” Yang’s campaign stated Monday.
He still has some catching up to do with his rivals — Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams had about $6.7 million cash on hand as of mid-January; Comptroller Scott Stringer, $5.8 million; and former banking executive Ray McGuire, $3.8 million, which he also raised in a short span.
The “Yang Gang” of grassroots supporters appears to be alive and well a year after the candidate dropped out of the Democratic presidential primary, Yang’s campaign said.
The statement noted that the campaign received contributions from more than 11,000 people and has signed up more than 3,500 volunteers for the mayoral race.
Yang has come under scrutiny for campaigning in public while the competition is mostly staying at home during the pandemic. Earlier this month, he announced he’d tested positive for COVID-19 and was going into quarantine.
His campaign said it’s held 15 in-person events, adding: “Every weekend we have an army of volunteers out engaging and registering people to vote before the deadline.”
COVID-19 concerns recently prompted a large group of candidates to sue the governor and mayor to suspend requirements to gather signatures to get on ballots.
“We are reaching New Yorkers online safely during the pandemic with tools like Instagram phone banking and new social strategies on TikTok and other platforms,” the Yang campaign said.
