NEW YORK — The “Yang Gang” descended on the New York City Board of Election office on Tuesday, cheering on their hero as he dropped off signatures to get on the mayoral primary ballot.
“We did it through volunteer energy and passion and dedication,” Andrew Yang told supporters as he showed off about 9,400 petition signatures outside the BOE office in lower Manhattan. “I am so proud of the fact that we got it done through all of you, through the passion of volunteers on this campaign!”
Coming off a series of polls that place him as the front-runner, Yang also took a shot at rivals in the packed Democratic primary, set for June 22.
“As far as we can tell, the other campaigns did not have this kind of energy. So you know what they did? They paid someone,” he said, though he did not name names.
The candidate at one point burst out in song, crooning, “How many signatures could you get in a year?” to the tune of “Seasons of Love” from the musical “Rent.”
Yang rose to national prominence during his unsuccessful run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 and along the way, created the active online group of supporters known as the “Yang Gang.” He boasted of having “over 4,000″ volunteers for his mayoral run.
Yang has faced strong criticism for saying at the start of the campaign that he couldn’t imagine living as a family in a two-bedroom apartment during the height of the pandemic. He and his wife and kids spent significant time in New Paltz, New York, last year. Subsequent gaffes, like a tweet appearing to show he believed the A Train goes to the Bronx, have also drawn scrutiny.
“I’m learning a ton about my city,” Yang said Tuesday while discussing petition gathering. “Even though I’ve lived here for 25 years, there’s so much to learn.”
This year’s process came amid heightened concern of potential coronavirus spread.
Both Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and city Comptroller Scott Stringer gathered more than 20,000 petition signatures each, according to their campaigns. Former Citigroup executive Ray McGuire had gathered 18,000 signatures, his campaign said.
A spokeswoman for former nonprofit CEO Dianne Morales said she had over 13,000 signatures. Shaun Donovan, a former top official in the administration of former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg and the Obama administration, has gathered about 8,000 signatures, according to his campaign. Former Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia said she’d gathered “a little shy of” 8,000 signatures. Maya Wiley’s campaign didn’t immediately provide numbers.
Garcia didn’t intend to drop her petitions off in person, telling the New York Daily News, “I’ve got other things I want to take care of and I want to be out talking to voters.”
With petition-gathering requirements reduced this year due to COVID-19, it takes just 2,250 signatures to get on the mayoral ballot, according to the city Board of Elections. The board is charged with enforcing stringent eligibility requirements for the petitions. Candidates have until midnight Thursday to submit their signatures.
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