Andrew Yang concedes mayoral primary: 'I am not going to be the next mayor of New York City'
- Andrew Yang dropped out of the New York City mayoral race Tuesday night.
- Early returns showed him in fourth place.
- Yang said he hoped to stay involved in public life in New York "and beyond."
Andrew Yang appeared in front of his supporters Tuesday night to deliver a concession speech.
Though there is not expected to be an official winner in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary for several weeks, initial returns showed Yang in fourth place.
Unofficial results from in-person voting put the Brooklyn borough president, Eric Adams, in first place, with the former police officer holding a commanding lead of more than 50,000 votes as Yang delivered his speech.
"You all know I am a numbers guy, I'm someone who traffics in what's happening by the numbers, and I am not going to be the next mayor of New York City, based upon the numbers that have come in tonight," Yang said.
"I am conceding this race, though we're not sure, ultimately, who the next mayor is going to be. But whoever that person is, I will be very happy to work with them to help improve the lives of the 8.3 million people who live in our great city."
Yang entered the race in January with a highly produced announcement video, and he led in public polling for the next several months.
Adams overtook Yang in some polls by May, however, and Yang eventually slipped to third and fourth place in other surveys.
Ahead of Yang in the early returns Tuesday were former Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia and the civil-rights attorney Maya Wiley.
In the city's new ranked-choice format, Garcia and Wiley would need second-choice votes from the rest of the field, along with a boost from absentee ballots, to push ahead of Adams.
Yang was the first candidate in the primary to concede Tuesday night.
In his concession speech, he said he hoped that he and his wife, Evelyn, would "find a way to serve, a way to contribute to public life, here in New York City and beyond."