On Jan. 25, 2019, former West Virginia state Sen. Richard Ojeda was the first to suspend his campaign for the upcoming 2020 presidential election. When pressed on the matter, Ojeda stated that he did not have “the ability to compete.” Since then, an additional 19 Democratic candidates have followed suit.
Most people probably haven’t heard of former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, whose Feb. 12 campaign suspension made him the twentieth and most recent casualty of the election cycle. But what about Andrew Yang, who announced his own withdrawal from the 2020 bid just a day before Patrick? His name is significantly more recognizable, given Yang’s popularity with the younger demographic.
Yang’s Feb. 11 announcement came shortly after the former entrepreneur’s presidential bid took a critical hit in the recent New Hampshire primaries, where he received just 2.8% of the Democratic popular vote.
The news devastated millions in the self-entitled “Yang Gang,” a following Yang managed to amass over the course of a two-year campaign using progressive grassroots tactics and a unique platform centered around economic liberalism.
Members of the “Yang Gang” claim that Yang’s failure to secure wider voter support resulted primarily from a lack of coverage of the candidate from mainstream news media outlets like CNN, who focused instead on veteran candidates, such as establishment-friendly Maine Sen. Elizabeth Warren or 2016’s Democratic runner-up, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
It’s not the first time the press has been caught playing favorites along the campaign trail. Likewise, Yang certainly isn’t the first fringe candidate to get burned in the process. It would have been a near-cosmic impossibility for him to receive the nomination had he stayed in the running. Consider it a relief that he bowed out when he did.
The suspension of Yang’s campaign was a necessary sacrifice. The former candidate is now free to dedicate his time, energy and newfound influence into rallying behind a Democratic candidate with a greater likelihood of winning against the Republican nominee in November’s general election.
Even after 20 dropouts in 13 months, eight democrats still remain on the ballot for primaries yet to come. By comparison, there are now only two candidates running on the Republican side, including the incumbent President Donald Trump himself.
At first glance one might assume that having a larger number of candidates would be preferable. It’s good to have a lot of options, right? Well—no. Not really. Sort of. From a purely socio-political perspective, it’s the ideal, as having more candidates should theoretically speak to a more accurate representation of the diverse electorate.
The idea looks good on paper. But paper tears so, so easily.
In reality, having so many candidates run against each other in the same party only makes for a divided and therefore sorely weakened electorate. With the amount of infighting taking place between the eight remaining factions, the Democratic base has essentially been in an all-out civil war. What will remain of us by the time the general election comes in November?
Sen. Bernie Sanders, the current favorite for the nomination in June, narrowly won the Democratic primary in New Hampshire with a total of 25.7% voter approval. Compare that with Donald Trump’s landslide win in the same state’s Republican primary, in which he swept 84.4% of the vote.
Trump took the majority lead, not through any particular merit of his own, but through the lack of competition. He has just one competitor in the primaries, whereas Sanders still faces a whopping seven.
Trump has the automatic advantage of almost unanimous voter confidence as he inevitably (my lukewarm condolences to Bill Weld) moves ahead into the general election. If Sanders were to receive the nomination, he would have to work considerably harder to amass enough support to even stand a chance against the reigning title-holder.
So to recap: no, you should not still #VoteForYang. Suspending a losing campaign was a wise decision on Andrew Yang’s part, and frankly it would be to the exponential benefit of all persons not named Donald J. Trump if more Democrats were to follow his lead and bow out now, before the party collapses under its own burdensome weight like a supernova into a supermassive black hole.
Grace Pulliam is an 18-year-old creative writing junior from Zachary, Louisiana.
