When a person initially hears about Yang and his $1,000-a-month Freedom Dividend, it is not uncommon for the plan to be dismissed as a gimmick. However, the plan sounds more reasonable after hearing Yang explain how automation will make it necessary and how it will be funded. And once the person is made aware that President Obama has publicly spoken about if society will need a universal income in the next decade, the gimmicky feel has usually worn off.

While Yang’s rising numbers in the polls have moved him into sixth place, the media is still treating Yang like a gimmicky candidate. Whether it’s not giving him reasonable speaking time at debates or not placing him on graphics with all the other candidates, people have frequently noticed the media has not been shining the proper amount of spotlight on Yang. Meanwhile, Yang has established a sizable online following and continues to do long-form interviews and podcasts which might be a more accessible medium for younger voters who don’t tend to watch TV ‘news’ shows like MSNBC, which usually have a baby boomer aged audience.

Potentially a major booster to Yang’s appeal is a similar reason which led to the election of Donald Trump, which was the feeling that nothing has fundamentally changed for the betterment of the average American in the last few decades. The same debates that were happening in the 1990's and 2000's are the same issues we still have today. Healthcare is still a major problem, troops are still in Afghanistan, the wealth gap continues to expand, climate change hasn’t been addressed, the criminal justice system hasn’t been reformed, money still buys politicians, our economy can still be brought to it’s knees, and the average American continues to wonder why our leaders haven’t solved any of these problems. Yang being seen as a genuine person who wants to fix these problems and has solutions which are outside the box of conventional politics which directly impact the average American’s daily life are reasons why Yang continues to gain momentum.

Some other recent indicators have also been positive for Yang, as some view him as one of the strongest candidates to beat Donald Trump. Yang is one of only two candidates in the field that 10% or more of Trump voters say they would support. As well, a recent New Hampshire poll had Yang beating Trump by 8%, with only Biden as the other candidate who had a wider margin against Trump. Finally, some quickly point to Yang when Trump made this statement when discussing potential Democratic opponents: “The only thing I worry about is that some total unknown that nobody ever heard of comes along.”

As Yang continues to increase his name recognition and outlast other candidates on the debate stage, I don’t see any reason why Yang won’t continue to rise in the polls, while other candidates are dropping and could eventually be a top tier candidate by rising at the right time.