Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang will join CNN as a political commentator, the network announced Wednesday.
Yang, an entrepreneur whose longshot candidacy burst into the mainstream with the help of a loyal online following, dropped out of the race last Tuesday after failing to earn delegates in the first two nominating contests of the 2020 primary.
"I’m excited to join @CNN to help shed light on the election and the candidates’ experiences. Learned a lot these past months and am glad to contribute to the public discussion," he wrote on Twitter Wednesday morning.
A political novice, Yang built his campaign around his signature “Freedom Dividend” proposal, which would have given every American adult a universal basic income of $1,000 per month. That proposal, and much of his campaign, were animated by the desire to counter the effects of automation on the U.S. workforce.
Although Yang managed to turn his fervent fan base into significant fundraising success and a spot on nearly every primary debate stage, support for the upstart entrepreneur ebbed at the polls. Though he outlasted sitting governors and members of Congress in the race, and consistently polled in the middle of the field, Yang turned in a pair of disappointing finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire, finishing with 1 percent and 2.8 percent of the vote respectively.
The former candidate joins a stable of presidential also-rans at CNN, including 2016 GOP presidential candidates Rick Santorum and John Kasich. But Yang has hinted another presidential run in the future and has been discussed as a potential candidate for New York mayor — something his team did not rule out Wednesday.
"Andrew Yang and his bold vision for the country are not going anywhere," said Yang’s campaign manager Zach Graumman.
Eugene Daniels contributed to this report.
