Andrew Yang Surges in Popularity, Now Ranks 4th Nationally

After missing the last debate in Des Moines, Iowa, Andrew Yang will return to the stage in the upcoming eighth Democratic debate in New Hampshire.

To qualify, candidates must receive at least 225,000 individual contributions, reach at least 5% in four polls approved by the Democratic National Committee or 7% in two early-state polls.

Yang had earlier met the donor threshold, then earned 7% in national polls from the Washington Post and ABC News, as well as 5% in a Fox News poll, Bloomberg reports. Both polls were released on Sunday.

The entrepreneur had also received 5% in an NPR/PBS/Marist national poll in December and 5% in a Quinnipiac University national poll in early January.

Candidates who come out of the Iowa caucus with at least one pledged delegate to the Democratic convention also automatically qualify for the debate scheduled on February 7.

Before the Iowa caucus which is on Feb. 3, Yang is currently on a 17-day bus tour of the state.

Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, Tom Steyer and Elizabeth Warren have also qualified for the debate which will be hosted by ABC News, WMUR-TV and Apple News.

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The hashtag #YangSurge has also trended at number 1 on Twitter last week after Emerson Polling released data on Thursday showing Yang in fourth place nationally with 8%, placing him ahead of Michael Bloomberg at 7% and Buttigieg at 6%.

According to Director of Emerson College Polling Spencer Kimball, Yang is pulling some younger voters away from Bernie Sanders to create a “very interesting dynamic.”

The New Hampshire debate will be the first of three debates happening in February just as voters head to the polls (or caucuses) in all four early states. The other debates are scheduled for February 19 in Las Vegas and February 25 in Charleston, South Carolina.

The first debate will take place after many voters have already decided on the 2020 race, as it is set just days after Iowa’s caucuses and less than a week before New Hampshire’s primary on February 11.

However, the debate is expected to make a significant impact on last-minute voter decisions both within the state and the rest of the voting population in the United States.

Feature Image via Getty

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