Pete Buttigieg Got a Cabinet Position, but Is There Still Hope for Andrew Yang?

Michelle Stein - Author
By

PUBLISHED Dec. 16 2020, 4:52 p.m. ET

will andrew yang get a cabinet position
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During his run for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, Andrew Yang turned heads for his call for a universal basic income — something that might have seemed extreme if it weren't for the fact that it was during a global pandemic and millions of Americans were without work. Joe Biden obviously won the ticket — and the presidency — but Yang supporters haven't forgotten their guy. And plenty have wondered: Will Andrew Yang get a cabinet position?

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Will Andrew Yang get a cabinet position?

So far, President-elect Joe Biden hasn't nominated Andrew Yang to a cabinet position. There's still plenty of time for that to happen, of course, if Biden does have a job in mind for him. But if he doesn't, then there could be for a valid reason according to Politico.

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“He’s not putting together a team of rivals, he’s putting together a team. That sets him apart from everybody,” said Mary Anne Marsh, a Democratic strategist from Massachusetts. “Obama had a team of rivals, other presidents have had a team of rivals. He’s not interested in conflict as much as he wants to have people who have done the job before and they can all work together to get all the work done."

Marsh explained that a lack of other 2020 presidential contenders in Biden's cabinet — including Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar, Tom Steyer, Beto O'Rourke and Andrew Yang  — will help further establish Harris as the default 2024 Democratic frontrunner.

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Then again, Joe Biden nominated Pete Buttigieg to a cabinet position.

Anything could happen, after all, right? Kamala Harris got in some decent jabs against Biden during the Democratic presidential debates, after all, and now she's the vice president-elect.

Not to mention, Biden announced his plan to nominate former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg — another political rival — to be his secretary of transportation.

Source: Twitter
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"Mayor Pete Buttigieg is a patriot and a problem-solver who speaks to the best of who we are as a nation," Biden said in a statement, according to NPR.

The president-elect continued, "This position stands at the nexus of so many of the interlocking challenges and opportunities ahead of us. Jobs, infrastructure, equity, and climate all come together at the DOT, the site of some of our most ambitious plans to build back better. I trust Mayor Pete to lead this work with focus, decency, and a bold vision — he will bring people together to get big things done."

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Source: Twitter

Andrew Yang is reportedly preparing to run for mayor of New York City.

Even if Joe Biden does end up tapping Andrew Yang for a cabinet position, Yang would need to resign halfway through the term if he wanted to launch a campaign for the 2024 presidential election. It isn't clear whether that's the plan. However, Yang has said that he's open to another presidential run in the future.

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“We all know if I ran again, it would be a lot more fun than the first time," Yang told Yahoo Finance Live on Nov. 10. "Because the first time, you know, I was kind of climbing out of anonymity. The second time, you know, we'd have a blast from day one. I would 100% run for office again."

Plans for 2024 aside, Yang is reportedly preparing to run for mayor of New York City in 2021. He hasn't yet announced his bet, although he's been privately telling New York City that he intends to do so, according to The New York Times.

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Source: Twitter

It looks like we'll just have to wait and see what happens. In the meantime, one thing's for sure: Andrew Yang doesn't seem to be exiting the political scene anytime soon.

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