He appeared on ABC's "This Week" days away from the Iowa caucus.
February 2, 2020, 2:18 PM
4 min read
Andrew Yang started out as an unlikely candidate who has surpassed sitting senators and governors in the 2020 race for the White House.
He appeared on ABC's "This Week" days away from the Iowa caucus, where he's telling voters that they will be OK going with a non-establishment candidate.
In order to acquire a delegate out of Iowa, a candidate needs to get 15% of the votes in a given precinct. ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos asked Yang on Sunday about his campaign's path forward if he’s unable to reach that threshold.
"Well first we plan to exceed 15% in the vast majority of locations and so what our supporters might do if we don't reach that threshold in a particular place, we have a very very diverse group of supporters," Yang said. "I can't speak for where they would head. I do have a sense that many of them have supported Bernie in the past, but many of them supported President Trump and they might just leave."
Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang speaks during a campaign event at the Cedar Falls Woman's Club on Jan. 30, 2020, in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses will be held on February 3.
Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang speaks during a campaign event at the Cedar Falls Woman's Club on Jan. 30, 2020, in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses will be held on February 3.Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Yang often draws attention to the fact that many of his supporters and people he expects to turn out for him actually voted for Trump in the last election.
In the past week, he told supporters at a town hall, "At every event I have had here in Iowa, someone has come up to me and said, 'I voted for Trump and you're my candidate this time.' ... It's one reason why the people in the know (who) were putting money on these things have me as the heaviest favorite matchup with Donald Trump."
Yang has never held an elected position, yet he generated a strong following that carried him through several Democratic debates. Although he didn't qualify for January's debate, he now has the polling requirements to be on the stage for the ABC's New Hampshire debate.
This is a developing news story. Please check back for updates.
