Andrew Yang Leaves the Democrat Party, Says it’s “the Right Thing”

Andrew Yang said Monday that he has left the Democratic Party and is now officially an Independent.

The technology entrepreneur, who launched a longshot bid for the Democratic presidential nomination and later ran unsuccessfully for New York City mayor, published a blog post on Monday saying he is “breaking up” with the Democratic Party.

“I changed my voting registration from ‘Democrat’ to ‘Independent’ today. It was a strangely emotional experience,” Yang wrote.

Despite a lifetime of being a Democrat and voting Democrat as well as still having many friends deeply involved in the party, Yang said, “I’m confident that no longer being a Democrat is the right thing.”

“So why do I feel in my heart that this is the right move?” Yang said. “While it was simply a small piece of paperwork, I genuinely felt a shift in my mindset as soon as I signed it.”

Yang cited the country’s increasing “polarization” as one of his reasons for distancing himself from the party, saying he is “more comfortable trying to fix the system than being a part of it.”

“My goal is to do as much as I can to advance our society. There are phenomenal public servants doing great work every day – but our system is stuck. It is stuck in part because polarization is getting worse than ever,” Yang wrote. “Many of the people I know are doing all of the good they can – but their impact is constrained. Now that I’m not a member of one party or another, I feel like I can be even more honest about both the system and the people in it.”

The former Democrat recalled registering with the party at 20 years old in 1995, amid then-President Clinton's push for reelection over former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan.

"Throughout my twenties I remained a staunch Democrat, though like many others I was drawn primarily to national races," Yang wrote. "I co-hosted a small fundraiser for John Kerry’s campaign at a bar when I was 29 – I think we raised maybe $3,000.  I thrilled to Barack Obama’s victory in 2008 and, to a lesser extent, his re-election in 2012."

"In 2016, I donated to Bernie Sanders’ campaign – everything he said struck me as true – but then voted for Hillary Clinton against Trump," he also wrote, saying he took former President Trump’s election "as a red flag and call to action."

Yang recalled his campaigning as a Democrat and for President Biden, as well as the Democrat friends he made around the country and on stage as a primary opponent, noting he has been a Democrat his "entire adult life."

"And yet, I’m confident that no longer being a Democrat is the right thing," Yang wrote.

Although leaving the Democratic Party, Yang encouraged his supporters to not change their affiliation to be an independent as he did, claiming doing so would "disenfranchise" someone if they "live in the 83% of the country that is very blue or very red."

While it's always a welcome sight to see democrats leaving the party, many in both camps are questioning Yang's motivations.

Some are happy to see him go, while others see it as a political stunt meant to garner attention.