ASAM NEWS & VIEWS FROM THE EDGE
It's not entirely correct to dub Andrew Yang "The Asian Candidate" for President in the 2020 campaign, nevertheless, its a description he embraces wholeheartedly knowing the importance of his candidacy in Asian American history.
“My Asian-ness is kind of obvious in a way that might not be true of Kamala or even Tulsi,” Yang told The New York Times. “That’s not a choice. It’s just a fairly evident reality.” He is referring to Sen. Kamala Harris, who is half-Indian and half-Jamaican, and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who is Samoan American. Both are also running for the Democratic nomination to run for POTUS in 2020.
Even though his candidacy is considered a long shot, the media is starting to look at Yang as a serious candidate for President. In just the last week, besides the New York Times, Yang was the subject of articles in Politico, the Washington Examiner and Next Shark.
FiveThirtyEight, just dubbed him a "major candidate" and did an analysis of Yang's chances since he met the website's criteria of having at least 65,000 donors. "We can no longer say with confidence that he is any more of a long shot than several other candidates," was the best the political website could say about Yang. "That’s an accomplishment in and of itself."
"I’m not running for President to be the first Asian American man to do so," he wrote in an opinion piece for Next Shark. "I’m running because I believe that I have something fundamental to contribute. I’m a father, my children will grow up here, and my country is spiraling into an abyss. I’m in a position where I may be able to help arrest our decline as a society. If I didn’t step up, I’d be failing my country and my own values.
In the The New York Times interview, Yang discussed representing the Asian American community in his campaign. The article noted that Yang embraces both his Taiwanese American identity and the stereotypes that are often associated with Asian Americans. During a rally, Yang invoked one of his popular campaign slogans.
“The opposite of Donald Trump is an Asian man who likes math,” Yang said.
In his campaign, Yang has embraced his nerdy side and love of math. He recently announced a line of campaign hats that say “Math” on the front. Some, however, worry that this strategy places an emphasis on stereotypes that contribute to the model minority myth.
In The New York Times interview, Yang said he and his campaign team try to be mindful of the model minority myth.
“It’s heartwarming when people are excited to see me because they feel like I represent their community,” Yang said. “And I will admit that there are many Asian-Americans who are looking at me and my candidacy and want to make sure I reflect positively on the community, so I’m very aware.”
Yang added that while he is mindful of the model minority myth, emphasizing his love of math has helped him create a campaign that is true to himself. He hopes that people won’t assume that all Asian men like math just because he does.
“It would be unfortunate if you say, ‘I’m an Asian guy who likes math, thus, all Asian guys like math,’” he said. “Hopefully, people will see our community is very diverse.”
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YANG CAMPAIGN
Presidential candidate Andrew Yang draws much of his support among younger voters. |
While Yang is happy to provide meaningful representation for the Asian American community, he also wants to ensure that voters know he is running to improve the lives of all Americans. He tweeted about The New York Times article, which largely focused on his Asian American identity, Yang said that he was “proud of [his] heritage,” but stressed that his campaign was “focused on how best to improve Americans’ lives and how to solve problems of the 21st century.”
Many believe it is highly unlikely that Yang will win the nomination or the presidency. However, he still has the potential to influence the race. Yang will be participating in the upcoming Democratic debates. Other candidates have also begun to take note of Yang. According to Politico, Mayor Pete Buttigieg believes Yang is “a very good, smart, earnest man” and a potential vice president pick.
"After the New York Times piece, I was asked to appear on NBC, CNN, MSNBC and many other networks. It has hit me more and more that I am in a very rare position where I am running for President and people are taking me seriously," Yang tells Next Shark. "I get donations each day from around the country from people who believe in me. Many of them are Asian, but most of them aren’t.
"But now that I’m here, I want to show what we’re capable of," he continued in Next Shark. "That we have much more to offer. We can be more than the trusted accountant or doctor or lawyer. I want to show that we are as smart, imaginative, courageous, charismatic, and patriotic as any American of any background. We see things that others do not. We can be builders, risk-takers, visionaries and leaders. If we give it our all and are willing to fight for it — we can even be President."
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