Andrew Yang, rising to fifth place in the democratic presidential polls recently, is rapidly gaining popularity. With the common use of the hashtag “yanggang” on social media platforms such as twitter and instagram, Yang is named “The Internet’s Favorite Candidate” by the New York Times. growing in approval, especially among younger voters. 

Yang’s campaign emphasizes his skill in math and his incredibly liberal agenda. As the only candidate who has voiced support for the decriminalization of nearly all drugs, he presents his views without the classic “politician” ways, including talking around the question or avoiding discussing more unpopular opinions. Many more liberal voters believe Biden is too moderate or Bernie is too old and deemed by Republicans as a “socialist,” making him unelectable. In these cases, support often shifts to Yang, a refreshing candidate with a history of law school and entrepreneurship. Yang also started Venture for America, also known as VFA, a nonprofit organization founded in 2011. VFA’s mission is “to revitalize American cities and communities through entrepreneurship.” It has created jobs throughout America and is a beneficial program to the country. 

Adding to his uniqueness which sets him aside from other candidates, Yang is the main endorser for Universal Basic Income, also known as UBI. UBI essentially provides $1,000 once a month for each person above the age of 18 in the United States. He has backed it several times in democratic debates, and frequently relates the benefits of his program to issues such as paid family leave, also pointing out that only two counties, including the United States, do not have by law. Yang also notes the hardship of raising a child with autism and often ties his experience with his own autistic son to political issues on the campaign trail. Universal income distinguishes Yang from other candidates such as Bernie, who strongly pushes for Universal Healthcare, a topic already discussed immensely in politics. Other candidates also seem to assume more popular goals such as cracking down on Wall Street or ending unnecessary wars, while Yang introduces a new issue to the stage. 

Although Yang is incredibly appealing to many voters, the media has largely ignored him throughout his campaign. In polls that he has done remarkably well, news outlets have opted to simply omit him from the poll, discussing other candidates instead. Recently, he has gained media coverage and is becoming a far more relevant candidate. Despite his current status in the polls, Yang was not in attendance at the Tuesday democratic debate. His campaign chief, Nick Ryan, addressed the matter stating “If the DNC had only done their due diligence and commissioned polls in the early states, Andrew Yang would certainly be on the debate stage next week. We are not going to allow the DNC to dictate who they wish to see as the nominee and deny the will of the people.” Considering Yang’s rapid increase in popularity in the past month, this declaration is likely very accurate. Instead, Tom Steyer, with a net worth 1,600 times more than Yang’s, who consistently polls worse than Yang, was on stage. 

Andrew Yang is a well liked, intelligent candidate whose base is rapidly expanding. With popular views and a refreshing background, he is among the top five candidates and continues to rise in the polls.