| | | | Are we still underrating Andrew Yang? |  | | Andrew Yang, sometime in the next two weeks, is expected to qualify for the sixth Democratic debate next month in Los Angeles. That will represent a clean sweep for Yang, as he will have made the stage in all six of the Democratic presidential debates this year.
That in and of itself would have been quasi-unthinkable in the early months of 2019, when Yang was a total political unknown, given somewhere between none and a snowball's chance in hell of even being relevant in the 2020 primary fight. What's been clear for months now, however, is that Yang -- through his quirky personality and willingness to talk about previously taboo topics like automation and universal basic income -- has built a durable following online and offline that outpaces many of the better-known candidates who have left the race and several who are still in it.
Yang has, in short, cleared that hardest, first hurdle: relevance.
On that, everyone -- mostly -- agrees. But in the wake of Yang's surprisingly strong debate performance last week in Atlanta, it's worth asking a different question: Are we still underrating Yang, his influence on the race and his chances going forward?
The answer to that question, I think, is yes.
Look at all of the traditional measures of success of a candidacy:
* Money: Yang raised $10 million in the third fundraising quarter, more than, among others, Sen. Kamala Harris of California and former candidate Beto O'Rourke. And his money momentum is all in the good direction.
* Polling: Yang started at roughly 0% everywhere. He's now up to 3% nationally and in Iowa, according to Real Clear Politics, and at 2% in New Hampshire. Which isn't amazing! But again, trajectory matters. Yang has continued to slowly but surely gain support even while many of his opponents have lost it. And he already has three polls (out of the four he needs) showing him at 4% or better in either early state or national polling to make the December debate.
* Grassroots energy: Yang has already gone over 200,000 individual donors. His online following is rabid and organized.
* Policy: There was a discussion of UBI -- Yang has proposed that every person 18 or older get $1,000 from the government each month -- in the October debate, which was a) stunning and b) a major win for Yang and his allies. Yang's focus on the effects of automation and the need to begin considering our data as our most valuable resource are also helping to drive conversation in the race.
Yang checks all those boxes -- at least as much as some of his rivals in elected office who have received far more attention.
And now, after months and months of downplaying what his supporters believed was media blindness to his candidacy, Yang is speaking out. "MSNBC is trying to suppress and minimize my campaign because there are certain other candidates that they might favor," Yang told Politico on Monday, citing his lack of speaking time (in comparison with other candidates with similar poll numbers) in last week's debate. (Yang provided no other evidence to back up his bias claims.)
The Point: Yang's candidacy is deeply unconventional. And therefore harder to cover or quantify. But as the current resident of the White House can attest, unorthodox candidacies can resonate in ways more traditional ones simply cannot.
-- Chris | | "We just gave Conan a medal and a plaque."
-- President Donald Trump honored Conan, the dog injured in the raid that led to the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, with an event at the White House. | | | SAVE THE DATE, NEW HAMPSHIRE | | The New Hampshire primary is a few short months away -- and now it finally has a date: February 11, 2020.
It's a quirk of the state's legally mandated first-in-the-nation primary process. New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner holds off on officially scheduling the primary to prevent other states from trying to leapfrog New Hampshire's.
If any state tries to schedule their primary before New Hampshire's (like Delaware was rumored to do in the 2000 cycle), state law enables the secretary of state to move New Hampshire's even earlier -- all to retain its first status. | |  | Diplomats want anonymity after bombshell testimonies | | In this impeachment edition of The Point, Chris and retired Rear Adm. John Kirby, a CNN military and diplomatic analyst, discuss the career diplomats who have testified before Congress and how the impeachment inquiry will affect them as they return to their posts of service.
Stay in the know on impeachment -- and more -- with The Point on YouTube! | |
LAUREN'S CAMPAIGN TRAIL LATEST | | Michael Bloomberg: Is officially running for president -- and spending nearly $40 million on advertisements over the next two weeks to introduce himself to voters. 🎧 Lauren has more on what makes Bloomberg's bid unusual in today's Point podcast
John Delaney: Responded to these new candidates jumping into the 2020 race in a ... unique way -- by doing box jumps in the gym (and putting it on Twitter)
Joe Biden: Has secured the first endorsement from a sitting member of Congress in 2020: Rep. Dina Titus of Nevada.
Kamala Harris: Will propose doubling the number of mental health treatment beds in the US.
Tulsi Gabbard: Told supporters she is 1,100 donors away from reaching the December debate donor threshold. She still needs one more poll to qualify. | | | Meet Bread and Butter, this year's turkey (and alternate) to be pardoned at the White House on Tuesday. In the meantime, they're hanging in a five-star suite at the luxury Willard hotel in Washington. | | | | | | |
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