Democrat line-up shortens as candidates drop out

Andrew Yang, an entrepreneur who created buzz for his presidential campaign, has suspended his 2020 bid.

Andrew Yang has pulled out of the race for the US presidential nomination. Picture: AFP

Andrew Yang, an ­entrepreneur who created buzz for his presidential campaign by talking about his love of maths, has suspended his 2020 bid.

“I am the math guy, and it is clear to me from the numbers that we are not going to win this race,” Mr Yang said in front of a crowd of supporters as votes in the New Hampshire primary were being counted.

“This is not an easy decision, or something I made lightly with the team. Endings are hard and I’ve ­always had the intention to stay in the race until the very end.

“But I have been persuaded that the message of this campaign will not be strengthened by my staying in the race any longer.”

The 45-year-old, who championed a universal basic income that would give every American adult $US1000 a month, was one of the breakout stars of the Democratic primary race, building enough support to qualify for the first six debates.

He announced his departure from the race shortly before Colorado senator Michael Bennet did the same, bringing the Democratic field to single digits.

Mr Yang outlasted senators and governors, and after initially self-funding his campaign, he raised more money than most of his rivals, bringing in more than $US16m in the final quarter of last year. It was a bigger haul than all but the top four candidates.

“We went from a mailing list that started with just my Gmail contact list to receiving donations from over 400,000 people around the country and millions more who supported this campaign,” Mr Yang said before pledging to support whoever becomes the Democratic nominee.

The graduate of Brown University and Columbia Law School gave campaign speeches full of statistics and studies that often ­resembled an economics seminar. His supporters, known as the Yang Gang, donned blue hats and pins with the word MATH — short for his slogan Make America Think Harder.

Mr Yang promoted his signature issue of universal basic ­income, which he dubbed the “freedom dividend”, by announcing during a debate that he would choose individuals to receive the monthly $1000 cheques.

His departure from the race ­almost guarantees that the Democrats, who once had the most ­diverse presidential field in history, will have no candidates of colour on the debate stage again this cycle.

Another candidate likely to end his run is former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick, who said he would “reflect” on his lacklustre showing in the New Hampshire primary and soon “make some ­decisions” on the future of his Democratic campaign.

Mr Patrick, who entered the race in November, had said that a strong showing in New ­Hampshire was needed to have a credible shot at winning the nomination.

But he trailed far behind the leading contenders, taking less than 1 per cent of the vote. “We needed the winds from New Hampshire at our back to carry us on in this campaign,’’ he said.

Mr Patrick said he would consult with his wife and “make some decisions” on Thursday.

He also lamented media coverage of his campaign, which he said cemented the idea in the minds of potential supporters that he ­jumped in too late.

AP