Yang campaign charts path forward after qualifying for December debate

Officials with Andrew Yang’s presidential campaign are expressing confidence in a path to winning the 2020 Democratic nomination after the entrepreneur secured a spot on next week’s debate stage. 

Campaign manager Nick Ryan said in a memo obtained by The Hill that data will help propel Yang out of the primary field’s middle tier. 

“As the race progresses and voters begin to tune in more, eyes are increasingly turning to the debate stage. When Andrew first appeared on stage in June, he was one of 20 candidates meeting the [Democratic National Committee’s] polling and donor thresholds. In Los Angeles next week, Andrew will be one of seven remaining candidates, having outlasted multiple senators, governors, and cabinet secretaries,” Ryan wrote.

“We’ve always known that in order for Andrew to secure the nomination, we’d have to do things differently. That’s why we’re going to win with our data-driven plan, grassroots fundraising and organizing, and with the only candidate who has a clear winning message,”  he wrote.

Ryan wrote that the campaign is analyzing data to help Yang “peak” before crucial primaries and caucuses in February and March, pointing to polls showing a wider swath of voters who say they would consider voting for the entrepreneur, and planning new advertisements in Iowa and New Hampshire intended to amplify his message. 

“Hundreds of thousands of voters are just now tuning in and getting to know Andrew now,” Ryan wrote in a nod to Yang’s entry as a candidate with low name recognition in a field dominated by senators and a former vice president.

The campaign also promoted Yang’s message, which has largely hinged on warning against the threat automation poses to several industries and a “freedom dividend,” which would give every American adult $1,000 a month.

“He’s the only candidate willing to propose solutions as big as the problems we face,” said Ryan.

While Yang entered the crowded 2020 Democratic primary field as a political unknown, he’s been able to cultivate a strong following on social media among supporters who are attracted to his niche message on the threats of automation. 

The entrepreneur has outlasted senators and governors who entered the race with higher name recognition and heftier financial backing who have since dropped out, though he still remains stuck behind a handful of other candidates in national and early state polls. He is currently in sixth place, according to a RealClearPolitics average of recent surveys, with 3.2 percent support.

However, Yang’s campaign hinted that the fourth quarter of 2019 will be its most lucrative to date and that it is confidence it can raise enough money to challenge some of the top-tier contenders. 

Yang will likely need a late surge of support heading into the first four nominating states in February and the Super Tuesday states in early March, where failing to make any top-tier finishes could be a death knell for any presidential campaign.