Andrew Yang mocked after announcing he’s left Democratic Party: ‘You can’t fire me; I quit energy”

‘If I start my own party, I’m likely to at least win a primary,’ tweeted one user

Andrew Yang, the tech entrepreneur and former candidate for both the US presidency and mayor of New York City, has announced that he has left the Democratic Party.

While some on Twitter congratulated him and supported his decision, the mocking soon began, covering everything from his dubious past electoral success to the timing of the announcement.

In an essay posted on his website, Mr Yang explained his reasoning for leaving the party, changing his registration to independent, and what his focus will be going forward.

Mr Yang made the announcement the day before his national book tour begins in New York. Insider reports that in the book he announces the formation of a new political party, The Forward Party.

On Twitter, Mr Yang posted “Why I’m leaving the Democratic Party”, with a link to the essay. He received a number of direct replies derisively answering the question for him.

“Because if I start my own party, I’m likely to at least win a primary,” replied one user.

Another user mockingly wrote: “Why I’m having a tantrum after losing two primaries, by Andrew Yang.”

Referencing his run to be mayor of New York and the campaign trail around the five boroughs of the city, someone answered: “Because your principles are 100% flexible and you’re tired of pretending you love bodegas?”

“Because I lost two primaries,” read another post, to which Mr Yang actually replied “Got hundreds of thousands of votes among Democratic voters”.

An account named after fictional news anchor Will McAvoy questioned that number and offered that fellow Democratic primary candidate Tom Steyer is closer to being able to make that claim than Mr Yang.

A Twitter user posted: “FUN FACT: Not satisfied with just losing primaries, Andrew Yang pivots to losing general elections.”

Along the same vein, another wrote: “BREAKING: Andrew Yang announces new plan to lose his elections.”

Comedian Steve Hoffstetter posted: “Yang is best known for his 2020 presidential campaign where he finished just one delegate away from not having zero delegates.”

“Andrew Yang has very strong ‘you can’t fire me; I quit!’ energy,” noted one tweet.

One user joked: “I also secretly love how Facebook being down 100 per cent ruins Andrew Yang’s carefully crafted ‘I’m leaving the Democratic Party’ PR blitz.”

In his essay, Mr Yang writes that it was a “strangely emotional experience” changing his registration from Democrat to Independent, but also that he was confident it was the right thing to do while highlighting the close ties he continues to have to Democrats around the country and in Washington.

He now intends to focus on trying to reform the system by campaigning for open primaries and ranked-choice voting to make elections more dynamic with greater choice.

“Breaking up with the Democratic Party feels like the right thing to do because I believe I can have a greater impact this way,” he writes.

Mr Yang’s book, Forward: Notes on the Future of Our Democracy, is released on 5 October.