Asian and Pacific Islander New Yorkers gathered together in an attempt to overthrow mayoral candidate Andrew Yang. This opposition comes after the candidate lost the support of one of the most influential political LGBTQ groups and a more than promising lead.
After an interview with Stonewall Democratic Club of NYC, members were left in awe, feeling as if they’d been “tokenized.” Many of the members reported feeling strange and not responding well to comments made by the former presidential candidate. One filmmaker of the group told NBC News, “It was like he never met a gay person his life, even though he kept reminding us people on his staff were gay.” Others reported the same and claimed they were not so easy to persuade based on LGBTQ acceptance.
Yang’s Downfall
Previous to this event, Yang was gaining ground in New York, catching the attention of many citizens for his pledge to combat issues of low income. However, when asked about challenges in the LGBTQ community, Yang didn’t prove so forward-thinking. As a matter of fact, he changed the subject and talked about his experiences going to lesbian bars repeatedly.
The candidate’s comments about the event made listeners cringe as he claimed, “We have, like, this incredible secret weapon. It’s not even secret. It’s, like, we should win everything because we have you all.” Not only was the group not pleased but instead endorsed Yang’s opponent Scott Stringer. The race is tight, with many New York democrats preferring Yang. However, with this new powerful endorsement, Stringer is expected to get ahead or just behind Eric Adams, who has second place in the running.
Another Hit
Losing the endorsement of one political group was not the end of Yang’s string of bad luck. Just after, a petition circulated that had more than 400 signatures of Asian and Pacific Islander New Yorkers. The petition states, “There are candidates more aligned with social and racial justice values, with deeper commitments to APIA and BIPOC communities, whose mayoralty would actually benefit our communities, and they are not getting the attention they deserve.” Majority of those who signed it felt that they were not getting the representation they deserved and noticed gaps in Yang’s policies for racial injustice.
It’s not clear just how much Yang’s lead is affected, as these two hits haven’t had a chance to sing in. Polls show a decreased liking of the candidate, but there is no information about his current ranking. The primaries take place in late June of this year, with the general election on November 2, 2021.
In politics, a lot can happen in a few months, including blowing all of this under the rug. However, Yang is under the spotlight, and unfortunately, it is not a promising one. He has time to make amends, but as for endorsements, at least one group he was hoping for decided to choose his opponent.
