Andrew Yang officially running for Mayor of New York City

TWITTER / ANDREW YANG
Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang is running for NYC Mayor. His co-chair is
newly sworn-in Rep. Ritchie Torres, right.

No one can accuse Andrew Yang of not being bold. Yang, who was virtually unknown before launching his Quixotic run in the Democratic presidential primaries in 2019, has thrown in his hat in the crowded race for New York City's next mayor.

Fresh from campaigning in Georgia for the two Democrats who successfully upset their GOP incumbents, Yang made his announcement in Manhattan's  Upper East Side near Columbia University, his alma mater.

"I'm running for mayor for a very simple reason," said Yang. "I see a crisis and believe that I can help."

Whether or not Yang, who was born and raised in upstate New York, can reproduce the magic that allowed him to outlast seasoned politicians during the campaign is an open question.

He has an enviable list of contacts of his supporters across the nation that rallied to his side known as the Yang Gang and helped him raise record amounts of funds. 

"As mayor, we will launch the largest basic income program in the history of the country. Right here in New York," Yang said referring to a program that was successful during his presidential campaign that advocated giving $1,000 to every adult in the U.S. 

"We will lift hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers out of extreme poverty, putting cash relief directly into the hands of the families who desperately need help right now."

Yang's political aspiration was well known in the city for weeks and was always a question of "when," not "if." The tech entrepreneur made his announcement on his 46th birthday.

The universal basic income proposal, his signature plank on the presidential trail, is back in a scaled back version. His belated entry in the crowded race for mayor of the financial capitol of the U.S. gave some of his opponents time to introduce the issue as their own. at least five out of the dozen rivals have some version of the UBI in their platforms.

Yang's new UBI plan gives the extra income to only the 500,000 of the poorest New Yorkers.

Yang lives in NYC and his two sons attend public schools.

" He pledged to improve access to high-speed internet, "take back control" of the subway system and "reopen intelligently."

"I'm running for mayor for my two boys, for you, and for every New Yorker," Yang said. "Let's fight for a future New York City that we can all be proud of."

The Democratic primary is in six months. The winner in that contest will likely win the mayorship of the city.