Whether hes dancing the Cupid Shuffle or wearing a button pledging to Make Americans Think Harder, tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang has run anything but a normal presidential campaign. That seems fitting for a political novice whose background in law and technology has given his campaign an unusual top issue: a signature proposal for a universal basic income Yang calls it the Freedom Dividend to mitigate the effects of automation and job loss on the economy. At one debate, Yang even announced that his campaign would give 10 families $1,000 per month for the next year as a case study for his UBI proposal.
And although Yangs support continues to hover in the single digits about 3 percent nationally, on average he is one of seven candidates who made the December debate, and he is also the only candidate of color to make the cut. So heres a look at what we know about Yangs small, but loyal support the Yang Gang and what it can tell us about his presidential bid.
Yangs strength comes primarily from voters under the age of 45, especially those between the ages of 18-to-29. Take Morning Consults large-sample weekly tracking poll where they interviewed more than 13,000 likely Democratic primary voters nationwide from Dec. 9 to Dec. 15. In that survey, Yang received 9 percent support among 18-to-29 year olds, which put him fourth behind Sen. Bernie Sanders (44 percent), former Vice President Joe Biden (18 percent) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (12 percent). So even though Yang had far less overall support in the poll than Sanders (4 percent versus 22 percent), Yang actually had the largest share of supporters under the age of 45 (74 percent compared with Sanderss 69 percent).
Share of overall support for Democratic presidential candidates from primary voters younger than 45 vs. those 45 or older, according to Morning Consults weekly tracking survey
Data for Morning Consult weekly tracking poll conducted Dec. 9-15, with sample size of 13,384 respondents. Only candidates polling at 2 percent or higher were included. Calculations were made with data rounded to the tenths place.
Source: Morning Consult
Additionally, Yang enjoys less overall support among the older half of the 18-to-44 range, with the backing of about 5 percent of 30-to-44 year olds, putting him fifth behind Sanders, Biden, Warren, and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
As for why Yang has an outsized appeal among younger voters given his overall standing, he has without question run an internet-savvy campaign, leaning into the meme culture popular among his supporters online. Hes also appeared on well-known podcasts, answered questions from users on Reddit and Quora and promised to give one Twitter user $1,000 per month just for retweeting him, which attracted over 100,000 retweets. But Yang also hasnt shied away from discussing the dark underbelly of technology. Thats an issue that resonates with many young people, who have grown up in an era where tech giants like Amazon, Facebook and Google have dominated the marketplace and are helping alter the future of work. Yang thinks a UBI is necessary to counteract this sort of economic disruption, especially as things continue to change in the coming years.
Yang, who has been called a doomer because of his outlook, believes President Trump won in 2016 because people were worried about losing their jobs in a fast-changing world. And as young people are most familiar with the ins and outs of new technology, its understandable why a candidate who is heavily engaged with technologys benefits and pitfalls may be so attractive to younger voters.
In addition to Yangs support trending young, it is also very male. For instance, in that Morning Consult survey, Yang earned 11 percent among 18-to-29 year-old men versus just 6 percent among women in that same age group. And according to The Economists polling with YouGov, his support among men in this age group is about 10 percent, while his support among women is in the low-to-mid single digits. Interestingly, differences between men and women largely disappear among older age groups.
Theres also evidence of Yangs appeal to younger male voters aside from the polls, however. For example, an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics in November found that women were less likely than men to contribute to his campaign only 29 percent of Yangs itemized contributions have come from female donors so far. (Only Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has raised less among women donors 24 percent.) Another sign is Yangs share price in betting markets, whose participants are predominantly young men. As of publication, PredictIt prices Yangs shares around 8 cents for winning the Democratic nomination analogous to a slightly less than 10 percent chance despite polling at around 3 percent nationally.
Asian Americans are also a very important part of Yangs base. While Asian Americans will make up only around 5 percent of the primary electorate, Morning Consult found Yang at 19 percent among them, behind only Biden (24 percent) and Sanders (22 percent). And Yangs support among Asian Americans has consistently outdistanced his overall numbers. Back in September, for instance, Yang polled at 8 percent in a survey from AAPI Victory Fund/Change Research of just Asian American and Pacific Islander primary voters even though he was polling at about 2 percent nationally.
Part of this may be because so few Asian Americans have run for president. There were Asian American Hawaiians like Republican Sen. Hiram Fong, who got a handful of votes at the 1964 and 1968 GOP conventions, and Democratic Rep. Patsy Mink, who won a small number of votes in the 1972 primary, but their bids were a long time ago. Granted, former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who is Indian American, ran for the Republican presidential nomination last cycle, but he struggled to attract more than 1 percent in the polls and suspended his campaign in November 2015, well before any votes were cast. So in the 2020 primary, Yang, along with Sen. Kamala Harris (who is part Indian American but has since dropped out), have perhaps given Asian American voters at long last someone from their constituency to back, which can help explain why so many have rallied to Yangs side.
As a fellow outsider candidate, Yangs appeal also shares some traits with Gabbards in that Yang also broke through in part via nontraditional venues, including outlets that are considered part of the Intellectual Dark Web, a politically amorphous network that generally criticizes concepts such as political correctness and identity politics. Like Gabbard, Yang also hasnt shied away from going on conservative talk shows, doing interviews with Fox News personality Tucker Carlson and conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, whereas some Democrats have refused to appear on Fox News. Yangs donor count also exploded after appearing on The Joe Rogan Experience, one of the most popular podcasts in the country, which also helped Gabbards campaign.
Still, for being an outsider candidate, Yang doesnt get as much support from Trump supporters or conservatives as Gabbard does. In last weeks poll from The Economist/YouGov, for instance, 25 percent of Trump voters who said they plan to vote in the 2020 Democratic primary said they intended to support Gabbard, versus just 2 percent who said they would support Yang. Similarly, in that Morning Consult poll, Gabbard received 5 percent among very conservative and conservative primary voters (and very little support among more liberal voters), whereas Yangs support was more ideologically balanced, ranging anywhere from 2 to 4 percent across all five ideological groups.
Nor does Yang get as much disproportionately liberal support as another outsider in the race: Sanders. Thats despite notable overlap between Sanderss supporters and Yangs supporters, according to Morning Consults second choice voter data. That Morning Consult survey found that 8 percent of Sanderss supporters picked Yang as their second choice, while a whopping 33 percent of Yangs backers said Sanders was their backup option. Yet in that same poll Sanders got the most support from very liberal and liberal voters (29 percent and 22 percent, respectively) and less from moderate and conservative voters as a whole, so his support was more weighted toward more liberal voters than Yangs.
However, one thing that all three candidates have in common is that all three attract higher levels of support from self-identified independents than Democrats. This isnt exactly a surprise for Sanders, considering he did better among independents than Democrats in the 2016 primary. But in that Morning Consult poll, the trend is obvious: Sanders earned 28 percent support among independents, compared with 21 percent among Democrats, while Yang earned 6 percent support from independents, compared with 3 percent among Democrats. Gabbard also picked up 4 percent among independents and only 1 percent among Democrats. This generally holds up across other polls, too, in which all three candidates get higher percentages among independents than Democrats, though obviously there be will more self-identified Democrats voting in the primary than independents.
With only seven candidates making the cut for Decembers debate, its fair to say that Yangs outsider candidacy has broken through in the Democratic primary in large part thanks to enthusiasm for him among younger voters and Asian Americans.
The question now is whether he can expand his appeal beyond 3 or 4 percent nationally. Raising nearly $10 million in the third quarter certainly helps his case thats real money he can use to build an on-the-ground campaign structure in early states like Iowa and New Hampshire. And with an army of small donors, Yang may have a reliable source of money to broaden his reach. Still, the crowded group of four candidates at the top of the polls will make it tough for him to actually win the nomination.
Nonetheless, Yangs continued presence in the primary when other candidates with more traditional resumes have already dropped out speaks volumes to his appeal. Perhaps Thursday night will be an opportunity for him to gain real momentum. After all, despite speaking the fewest words in the last debate, Yangs net favorability improved the most of any candidate on stage in our polling with Ipsos. Maybe dont write Yang off just yet, even if a lot would have to go right for him to break into the top four.
See original here:
What We Know About Andrew Yangs Base - FiveThirtyEight
- The Phony Debate About Political Correctness ThinkProgress - December 8th, 2016 [December 8th, 2016]
- Political Correctness Watch - December 12th, 2016 [December 12th, 2016]
- The Origins of Political Correctness - academia.org - January 13th, 2017 [January 13th, 2017]
- Spicer says 'political correctness' infringes on 'freedom of religion' - Washington Post - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Political correctness exists to build respect for the oppressed - Kenyon Collegian - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Letter: Political correctness has gone too far - The Herald-News - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Boy Scouts ruined by political correctness: Your Say - USA TODAY - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Spicer Says Religious Liberty Is Getting 'Pushed Out' By Political Correctness - TPM - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Lawrence Modisett: Need for political correctness still holds true - The Providence Journal - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Trump's right-wing political correctness makes us less safe - Daily Kos - Daily Kos - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Authoritarian political correctness - Dailyuw - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Fixing political correctness - The Stanford Daily - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- The Politically Correct Presidency of Donald Trump - The Atlantic - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Letter: Political correctness is akin to golden rule - The Buffalo News - Buffalo News - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Pro-Trump priest casts political correctness aside and creates quite the stir on social media - BizPac Review - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Slamming 'political correctness,' Casper scraps recycling program ... - Casper Star-Tribune Online - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Political correctness is life and death on a hilarious It's Always Sunny - A.V. Club - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Too PC? - Two Views on Political Correctness - Huffington Post - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Foregoing Political Correctness, The Senate Should Have Let Warren Speak - Daily Caller - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- To a Collegian columnist: Disregarding political correctness hinders social justice causes - Kenyon Collegian - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Political correctness | The Economist - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Netflix Boycott Over 'Dear White People' Is Right-Wing Political Correctness in Action - Heat Street - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Salman Rushdie's New Novel is About Political Correctness and the ... - Heat Street - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Letter to the editor: The truth doesn't require political correctness - Anniston Star - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Trump's Right-wing Political Correctness Makes Us Less Safe - Huffington Post - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- When Will They Purge Indian History Of Political Correctness And Teach Us As It Is? - Swarajya - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Editorial: Brown puts political correctness above jobs - Daily Astorian - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Slamming 'political correctness,' Casper scraps recycling program for electronics - Casper Star-Tribune Online - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- Letter: Political correctness has endangered our safety | INFORUM - INFORUM - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Letter to the editor: Political correctness has influenced minds - Post Register - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Political Correctness Is An Absolute Must | Time.com - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Political Correctness Propagates Radical Liberalism and Undermines The Truth - Accuracy In Media (blog) - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- This Day: Charlton Heston speaks at Harvard about Political Correctness - The Apopka Voice - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Words, Tweets and Stones in the "Political Correctness" Wars ... - EconoTimes - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- Ferguson Political Correctness - The Missourian - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- PewDiePie: Alt-Right Nazi, Victim of Political Correctness, or Just an Idiot? - Reason (blog) - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Political correctness weaponized in face of unpopular opinion - The Vermilion - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Populist correctness: the new PC culture of Trump's America and Brexit Britain - The Guardian - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- Trevor Phillips: political correctness ushered in the populist wave - The Guardian - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- Political correctness on a downward spiral - NCC Linked - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- PewDiePie's Misguided War On The Media Sounds Familiar - Forbes - February 21st, 2017 [February 21st, 2017]
- Better Education Responsible for Political Correctness - NYU Washington Square News - February 21st, 2017 [February 21st, 2017]
- Publishers Pen - Political Correctness and Lawlessness: A Rant - Up & Coming Weekly - February 22nd, 2017 [February 22nd, 2017]
- Fed up with political correctness - The Rushville Republican - February 22nd, 2017 [February 22nd, 2017]
- Thursday's best TV: Born Too White; Has Political Correctness Gone Mad? - The Guardian - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- Political correctness is to blame for terrorist payout, says Leo McKinstry - Express.co.uk - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- Jones: It's not political correctness, just common decency - Philly.com - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- Is There Space For Political Correctness In Fashion? Gucci Says Maybe Not - Refinery29 - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- The Dark State of Political Correctness - American Spectator - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- Thursday February 23, 2017 - Israel Hayom - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Jim Bailey column: Caught up in political correctness - The Herald Bulletin - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Op-ed: He's just saying what we're all thinking: How political correctness fails us in the age of Trump - The Eagle - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- The Bus Campaign That's Giving UK Political Correctness a Run for ... - CBN News - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Has political correctness gone mad? 'Comedians must be allowed to offend' - thejournal.ie - February 25th, 2017 [February 25th, 2017]
- CPAC inadvertently shows logic behind political correctness - UT The Daily Texan - February 25th, 2017 [February 25th, 2017]
- Despite Rumblings About Political Correctness, the Black Oscar Nominees This Year Deserve All the Accolades - Heat Street - February 25th, 2017 [February 25th, 2017]
- EDITORIAL: Political correctness ... and more absurdities | The ... - The Daily Progress - February 27th, 2017 [February 27th, 2017]
- Political correctness puts end to much loved television characters ... - Starts at 60 - February 27th, 2017 [February 27th, 2017]
- Political Correctness Hurt the Oscars - WSAU (blog) - February 28th, 2017 [February 28th, 2017]
- The Bus Campaign That's Giving UK Political Correctness a Run for Its Money - CBN News - March 1st, 2017 [March 1st, 2017]
- Fox News' Tucker Carlson says 'Moonlight' only won Best Picture because of political correctness - ThinkProgress - March 1st, 2017 [March 1st, 2017]
- O'Reilly: 'Americans Are Tired of Political Correctness & Left-Wing Totalitarianism' - Fox News Insider - March 1st, 2017 [March 1st, 2017]
- Enough with the political correctness: transgender individuals shouldn't be allowed to compete in sports - The Rebel - March 2nd, 2017 [March 2nd, 2017]
- Is political correctness killing US institutions? - Canada Free Press - March 2nd, 2017 [March 2nd, 2017]
- Jennifer Saunders Claims Political Correctness Has Ended ... - Huffington Post UK - March 3rd, 2017 [March 3rd, 2017]
- Conservative Rag Bends to Political Correctness - American Free Press - March 3rd, 2017 [March 3rd, 2017]
- Why John Howard thinks Australians are sick of political correctness ... - Starts at 60 - March 6th, 2017 [March 6th, 2017]
- Columbus Statue Removed at Pepperdine Bow to Political Correctness - The New American - March 6th, 2017 [March 6th, 2017]
- Why 'rage is not a policy' - Washington Times - March 6th, 2017 [March 6th, 2017]
- Donald Trump Is Actually The Most Politically Correct Politician Of Them All - Huffington Post - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- Misguided political correctness is problem | Letters To Editor | union ... - Walla Walla Union-Bulletin - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- Political correctness is curtailing free speech: Letters - LA Daily News - March 8th, 2017 [March 8th, 2017]
- 'La La Land' is the Ultimate Victim of Hollywood's Political ... - Heat Street - March 8th, 2017 [March 8th, 2017]
- Political correctness sends ACC from Tobacco Road to Brooklyn - Power Line (blog) - March 9th, 2017 [March 9th, 2017]
- Give political correctness a failing grade - Canoe News - Canoe - March 11th, 2017 [March 11th, 2017]
- Nick Ferrari: Political correctness is turning our police into social services - Express.co.uk - March 12th, 2017 [March 12th, 2017]
- Littleproud: program is 'political correctness gone too far' - Warwick Daily News - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Editorial: freedom of speech in an era of political-correctness, part two - Daily Sundial - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- When Republicans defend Republicans' bad behavior, we justify 'political correctness' - Mooresville Tribune - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Marvel V.P. Admits Political Correctness Killed Comic Sales ... - FrontPage Magazine - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]