Andrew Yang stands out from the crowd of Democratic candidates for how unconventional and unlikely his campaign has been. He's built an extremely motivated online fanbase. Yang motivates his followers at levels that other candidates could only hope for. Despite his outsider status, he made his way into every single Democratic debate so far—beating out other more seasoned Democratic politicians. In an incredibly crowded year, Yang has made himself relevant when many have failed to catch the public's notice.

Here's how Chris Cillizza at CNN summarized Yang's campaign so far:

* Money: Yang raised $10 million in the third fundraising quarter, more than, among others, Sen. Kamala Harris of California and former candidate Beto O'Rourke. And his money momentum is all in the good direction.

* Polling: Yang started at roughly 0% everywhere. He's now up to 3% nationally and in Iowa, according to Real Clear Politics, and at 2% in New Hampshire. Which isn't amazing! But again, trajectory matters. Yang has continued to slowly but surely gain support even while many of his opponents have lost it. And he already has three polls (out of the four he needs) showing him at 4% or better in either early state or national polling to make the December debate.

* Grassroots energy: Yang has already gone over 200,000 individual donors. His online following is rabid and organized.

* Policy: There was a discussion of UBI -- Yang has proposed that every person 18 or older get $1,000 from the government each month -- in the October debate, which was a) stunning and b) a major win for Yang and his allies. Yang's focus on the effects of automation and the need to begin considering our data as our most valuable resource are also helping to drive conversation in the race.