It is unclear whether Andrew Yang, who has never held public office, will qualify for the 2020 Democratic primary debates. | Phil Long/AP Photo 2020 elections 2020 candidate Andrew Yang raises $1.7 million

Andrew Yang, a little-known 2020 presidential candidate, said Tuesday that his campaign had raised nearly $2 million from more than 80,000 individual donors — putting him one step closer to the Democratic primary debate stage.

Yang’s campaign announced Tuesday afternoon that he brought in a preliminary fundraising haul of $1.7 million from more than 80,000 individual donors in February and March. According to the campaign, 99 percent of donations were under $200; the average donation was $17.92.


“Our Q1 fundraising numbers. THANK YOU. This campaign has come so far. We are changing the conversation and we can do so much. There’s a new type of economy on the horizon,” Yang tweeted , along with emojis of a grinning face, an American flag and a thumbs-up.

Yang, an entrepreneur who has become known for his support of giving all American adults a $1,000 monthly government stipend, will be part of a CNN town hall on April 14, the network announced Monday.

However, it is unclear whether Yang, who has never held public office, will qualify for the 2020 Democratic primary debates.

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The Democratic National Committee announced in February that candidates must draw the support of 1 percent or more of those surveyed in at least three polls or receive donations from at least 65,000 individual donors and from a minimum of 200 individual donors per state in at least 20 states. Yang polled at 1 percent in a Monmouth University Poll released in early February.

If he meets all the criteria, Yang would join Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, both African-American ministers and civil rights activists, as the only nonelected officials in the past 40 years to make the first Democratic presidential debate in a cycle.

Yang’s campaign manager, Zach Graumann, in a statement praised the “Yang Gang” — an affectionate nickname for the candidate’s loyal supporters.

“An outsider candidate raising nearly $2 million in two months in entirely small contributions is unheard of,” Graumann said. “Andrew Yang has proven he can build an online fundraising army from scratch — the Yang Gang effect is real.”

This article tagged under: Andrew Yang