Andrew Yang, an entrepreneur and long shot Democratic presidential candidate, raised 1.7 million dollars in his first quarter of fundraising, according to numbers his campaign released Tuesday.
“The campaign reports a preliminary fundraising haul of $1.7 million from over 80,000 individual donors in February and March alone, with 99 percent of all donations coming in under $200, and an average donation of $17.92,” Yang’s campaign said in a statement.
Other 2020 candidates also released their fundraising numbers, including: South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg who raised $7 million, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., who raised $12 million, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who raised $18 million.
“Andrew Yang has proven he can build an online fundraising army from scratch. The Yang Gang effect is real," said Yang’s campaign manager Zach Graumann, referring to Yang’s group of online supporters based mainly on Reddit and 4chan.
Yang’s campaign has been defined by his long list of out-of-the-box policy proposals. The centerpiece of Yang’s policy proposals is his support of universal basic income, which he calls the “Freedom Dividend.”
Last month he qualified to participate in the first Democratic debate, meeting the 65,000 individual donor threshold.
CNN announced Tuesday it would be holding a town hall on April 14 with Yang.