It was one of the factors leading to her endorsement of a political outsider for one of the toughest jobs in government: Asian Americans have a historic opportunity to have one of their own as mayor, and congresswoman Grace Meng wants to help Andrew Yang get there.
“When people see Andrew Yang, they know that he is the person that will bring hope back to the city,” Meng said at a news conference in Flushing, Queens, announcing her endorsement.
Meng, a trailblazer in her own right, will now be co-chair of Yang’s campaign, as the race enters a final spring to the June primary.
“I would be honored to follow in her footsteps as the first Asian American mayor in the history of our great city," Yang said.
Unlike some of his rivals in the Democratic primary for mayor, and despite having popularized ideas like Universal Basic Income, Yang’s campaign has not put too much emphasis on a specific ideology. He has focused on generating excitement with his upbeat style, leading critics to wonder whether he is betting on feelings rather than on concrete policy proposals.
“The feeling that I’m most excited about is when I walk the streets of New York, including just on the way over to this press conference people are happy to see me. They say ‘Yang, I’m with you, let’s win, we got you,’ and that’s a tremendous feeling,” Yang said.
“Good feelings about a candidate and a campaign are a good thing. Good feelings plus good policies is what got President Obama elected. Good feelings and good policies are what got President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris elected,” Meng said.
Meng will be joining two other campaign co-chairs: her fellow congressman Ritchie Torres and Martin Luther King III, a supporter who is not a New Yorker.