By Alison Main and Arit John | CNN
2020 Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang endorsed US Rep. Dean Phillips’ bid for president while campaigning with the Minnesota Democrat here Thursday.
“In this time of need, only one person decided to place his country above his professional aspirations, put his conviction above the chattering class, and that is the man I am proud to endorse tonight as the next president of the United States, three-term congressman from Minnesota Dean Phillips,” Yang said at a campaign event.
Phillips has adopted policies supported by Yang, who unsuccessfully sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 and the New York City mayorship the following year. Those include Medicare for All and Universal Basic Income pilot programs as Phillips tries to appeal to progressive voters in his long-shot challenge to President Joe Biden.
The Minnesota congressman has also brought on left-leaning senior campaign staff, including campaign manager Zach Graumann, who ran Yang’s 2020 campaign, and senior advisor, Jeff Weaver, who worked on Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 and 2020 presidential bids.
Yang said in 2021 that he was “breaking up” with the Democratic Party and registering as an independent.
The New Hampshire Democratic primary takes place Tuesday, but the national party has said that no delegates will be awarded based on the primary as the contest is noncompliant with the Democratic National Committee’s revamped nominating calendar.
While Biden did not register for the New Hampshire primary, state Democrats have mounted a low-key write-in campaign on his behalf.
A CNN poll released earlier this month found that 69% of likely New Hampshire Democratic primary voters planned to write in Biden’s name, and just 7% said they planned to vote for Phillips. Another 6% said they would vote for author Marianne Williamson.
Phillips’ campaign has been laser-focused on the Granite State, where he is hoping to kickstart his bid with Biden absent from the ballot there. He told reporters earlier this week that finishing in double digits in New Hampshire would be a “heck of a good start.”
“If I’m somewhere in the 20s, I’ll be thrilled,” he said Monday. “We’re just beginning this campaign.”
This story has been updated with additional information.
