NY Senator John Liu says Andrew Yang is ‘our Shirley Chisholm’

“He is our Shirley Chisholm,” said Liu of Yang during his speech outside a City Hall rally on Monday.

New York’s mayoral candidates are winding down and Andrew Yang is receiving mega support.

The former presidential candidate has allies across New York City and with recent endorsements may have become a frontrunner who could very well win the race. According to State Senator John Liu, Yang is their Shirley Chisholm.

“He is our Shirley Chisholm,” said Liu during his speech outside a City Hall rally on Monday. “The first Asian American to run for president of the United States.” Chisholm was the first Black woman to run for President and the first Black woman elected to United States Congress.

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“He put Asians on the national stage,” added Liu who ran the mayoral race in 2013. Mayor Bill de Blasio ultimately took the win, per New York Daily News.

Yang may not have had enough support to win the 2020 presidential election but he is receiving rolling support for his mayoral run.

“For too long, AAPIs have been locked out of the process and not taken seriously as candidates. Andrew has already changed that,” said Varun Nikore, the head of a PAC that mobilizes Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders for Democratic candidates, AAPI Victory Fund, per a recent interview with NBCNews.

“This is bigger than politics. This is about having a seat at the table and supporting candidates who know their roots and always have our backs.”

The Westchester County, New York native ran his presidential campaign on the idea of “Freedom Dividend,” a universal basic income that would provide American citizens with $1,000 a month. He has carried over that idea into his mayoral run and wants to provide NYCers living in extreme poverty with $2000 per year.

“It makes us stronger, healthier, more secure, mentally healthier, improves our relationships,” Yang said of the concept of guaranteed income, per CNBC back in March. “55% of Americans are now for cash relief, in perpetuity, and 85% are for cash relief during this pandemic.”

Read More: Andrew Yang grilled in New York mayoral debate

The candidate said the bill for his idea would fall on property tax-exempt landlords such as Madison Square Garden.

“MSG’s tax breaks [are] $40 million a year, alone,” Yang said to The News with Shepard Smith. “If you look at that money and you get it back into the city’s hands, plus you invest some level of the city’s resources, we can alleviate extreme poverty here in New York City.”

But as reported by theGrio, Eric Adams is also a big contender for the mayoral seat.

Yang’s mayoral race for New York City may need to catch up to Brooklyn Borough president and former New York Police Department Adams. The latest polls from Change Research show that Adams currently has a slight lead, with support from 19 percent of New Yorkers compared to Yang’s 16 percent, Newsweek reports.

The polls also found that among different racial demographics, 41 percent of Black Americans are behind Adams and 34 percent of Asian Americans support Yang; 22 percent of New York respondents are undecided. The primary is on June 22 and the general election is on November 2.

“Clearly, Eric Adams has the momentum in this race, driven by everyday New Yorkers who agree Eric can deliver a safer, fairer, more prosperous city for all,” said Evan Thies, Adams’ campaign manager.

Additional reporting by Sytonia Reid

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