Andrew Yang Starting a Third Political Party: A Marketing Stunt to Promote Book?

Former Democratic presidential and New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang is planning to leave the Democratic party and launch his own party next month. This announcement is likely to coincide with the launch of his book with many netizens saying, "Yang is launching a marketing company to sell his book, disguised as a political party."

Neither the name of the third party nor its plans to impact future elections have been revealed but the tech entrepreneur tweeted "Excited" in apparent response to the initial Politico report. The party's debut will come with the October 5 release of his new book, 'Forward: Notes on the Future of Our Democracy.' The book's summary, released by Penguin Random House imprint Crown, teases the potential groundwork for the party's platform, according to the Daily Mail.

"Yang introduces us to the various "priests of the decline" of America, including politicians whose incentives have become divorced from the people they supposedly serve," the publisher Penguin Random House says. They add, "Yang offers a series of solutions, including data rights, ranked-choice voting, and fact-based governance empowered by modern technology."

Yang: An Unsuccessful Presidential Candidate

Yang, a former businessman gained national attention when he ran to be the Democratic nominee for the 2020 presidential election. His campaign drew attention for his universal basic income pitch, his warnings about the automation of the US economy and his group of supporters that call themselves the 'Yang Gang'.

However, his presidential nominee run did not get far as he dropped out after the primary in New Hampshire.

After his failed presidential run, Yang ran for mayor of New York City. Early in the race, he was seen as a frontrunner with the amount of support and attention he received.

However, support soon dwindled and Yang ended up dropping out of the race in late June, according to The Hill. Yang conceded defeat, acknowledging to supporters that "there was so much about New York City I did not know."

Netizens Say There's a Connection Between Yang's New Book and His New Political Party

Social media users feel that Yang is making the hype around his 3^rd political party promote his new book.

One internet user wrote, "Andrew Yang is finally admitting that he had never been a Democrat. His new party is just part of his grift; This time it's to sell a book." Another said, "Andrew Yang's absolute dedication to the promotion of Andrew Yang continues unabated I see." One comment read, "Seems Andrew Yang is not so much trying to create a third party as he is trying to promote his upcoming book. Either way, I doubt it will be successful."

One comment read, "Damn. And I was actually going to buy his new book in October. @AndrewYang We need unity, not more division!!!! Third party politics are lovely in theory but until we fix things like Citizens United and reinstate the Fairness Doctrine, nothing will truly change."

One user shared, "The only thing more pathetic than Andrew Yang starting a third party to sell books is liberals panicking that Andrew Yang's brand new scam party will actually impact elections."