Andrew Yang hits Democrats for elevating 'extreme' GOPers
Andrew Yang discusses the current state, and future, of the Democratic Party with Fox News Digital.
Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang railed against the ongoing strategy by Democrats to boost "extreme" candidates competing in GOP primaries ahead of the midterm elections.
Millions of dollars are being spent by Democrats across the country meddling in Republican races in hopes of elevating candidates deemed the most beatable in November. Prominent examples include the GOP gubernatorial candidates Doug Mastriano of Pennsylvania, Darren Bailey of Illinois and Dan Cox of Maryland, all of whom won their primaries, as well as Colorado Senate candidate Ron Hanks, who was ultimately defeated in the primary by GOP rival Joe O'Dea.
Yang called that strategy "another symptom of a broken two-party system."
"I think that Democrats and Americans should be angry that we're reduced to this kind of game playing — that you're saying that people donate money to the Democratic Party and then that money gets funneled to boost the extreme Republican because that's going to help your chances?" Yang said during an interview with Fox News Digital. "There were many, many Democrats back when Donald Trump ran for president in 2016 that were like, "Great!… We're gonna beat this guy no problem!' and then he winds up president. So what I said then was, ‘Look, be careful what you wish for.’"
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He continued, "But certainly, I think the last thing anyone should be doing is spending money to elevate someone they think is out of step with the mainstream. If you believe in democracy, you run and maybe you win, maybe you lose, but you certainly, if you're going to lose, you'd want to lose to someone who you think is more in step with the will of the American people in the mainstream of that community, rather than trying to stick your thumb on the scale and saying, ‘Hey, I think I can beat the extreme candidate more easily.'"
Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang speaks at the libertarian FreedomFest conference in Las Vegas on July 16, 2022. (Fox News Digital)
Yang, who spoke last week at the libertarian FreedomFest conference in Las Vegas, forecasted a "tough season" for Democrats going into the midterms since inflation has become a dominant issue for voters. And he knocked his former party for appearing to try to "excite" the base rather than "persuade" new voters.
"And if you're trying to persuade someone, then you might approach them, asking them what they care most about and use language that they find appealing and accessible. Instead, it seems like doing the opposite," Yang said of Democrats.
He then mentioned a Democrat he's spoken to from a "swing state in the Midwest" who told him she'll "never get the party leadership" because she won't be given any seniority.
"So you have leaders, and this is true of both parties, but you have leaders who represent districts that tend to be ideologically tilted in one way or the other. And then some of the messaging ends up reflecting that," Yang said.
Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang sits down with Fox News Digital at FreedomFest on July 16, 2022. (Fox News Digital)
Yang also asserted that the media plays a "huge" role in how out of touch Democrats have become, pointing to a "feedback loop that builds up" between politicians and journalists on Twitter.
"You have members of the media who are on social media, and then something will excite people on social media, and then it'll end up driving a news cycle or a press cycle. And a lot of those issues aren't top of mind for everyday Americans, it's just a subset that are on social media," Yang told Fox News Digital. "So I think when you ask about Democratic messaging, taking a certain form that's inaccessible to a lot of Americans, a lot of it's being driven by these feedback loops that involve journalists on social media seeing things and then writing about them as if that's what voters are thinking about, when it's really what a narrow subset of voters are thinking about."
As Republicans are poised to take back Congress following the midterm elections, Yang insisted that Democrats "need to do a better job communicating what their agenda is that will affect the average American," particularly on how their policies can improve voters' "ability to afford a better life for themselves and their family."
"And if you are not able to deliver, you can at least do a better job saying, ‘Look, like, these are the things that you can look forward to.’ Right now, I'm not sure most Americans feel like the Democratic agenda has improved their lives in a way that they can feel," Yang said.
Andrew Yang, who left the Democratic Party following a bid for president and New York City mayor, hinted a third-party run for president in 2024 during an interview with Fox News Digital on July 16, 2022. (Fox News Digital)
Yang, who ran against President Biden in the 2020 Democratic primary and subsequently competed in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor in 2021, officially left the Democratic Party and has since launched the Forward Party.
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During the interview, Yang hinted he would pursue a third-party run for president if there's a rematch between Biden and former President Donald Trump, whom he sees as two unpopular candidates.
"So there a lot of people that are not eager for a Biden-Trump rematch, but it seems like we may very well get that," Yang said. "And one thing I will say is that if that matchup is unappealing to you, then go to ForwardParty.com and let's make sure that Americans have more choices in your community, but also in 2024."