Andrew Yang's 'Yang Gang' drives his unconventional campaign -- Chasing California 2020

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Andrew Yang is perhaps the most surprising candidate still in the Democratic race for president. Running on the platform that automation is displacing millions of jobs and the solution begins with $1,000 a month for every American adult, the 45-year-old tech entrepreneur has gone from a complete unknown to a rising competitor in the Democratic race.

An ABC News national poll from January 26 shows Yang in fifth place, with 7% support. That's well behind the top 3 of Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, but solidly in the second tier, just behind Michael Bloomberg and ahead of Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar.

CHASING CALIFORNIA 2020: ABC7 Original Limited Series about political fight for California

It's been quite a year for Andrew Yang. In March of 2019, when he sat down for one of his first TV interviews with ABC7 News anchor Kristen Sze, he had about 60,000 Twitter followers. As of January 2020, he has 1.2 million followers.

Yang went from running his campaign out of an apartment owned by his mother to raising a whopping $16.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2019, competing in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and California. His loyal, passionate, tech savvy supporters calls itself the "Yang Gang" and it is driving force behind Yang's unconventional and surprising campaign. The Yang Gang is vocal and visible.

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This episode of Chasing California helps us understand the importance of the Yang Gang and California to Andrew Yang's candidacy. ABC7 News went one-on-one with the candidate during his recent visit to the Bay Area. Yang told ABC7 News anchor Kristen Sze, "California has a unique opportunity where you all can vote as early as any other state, and you can choose who the next president will be. So it's going to be an enormous priority for us."

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To truly understand the power of the Yang Gang, you've got to experience it in real time. We take you there. Go behind-the-scenes at a Bay Area Yang Gang Hang. Join the chase.

Chasing California is an ABC7 Original Limited Series about the political fight for California.

Now more than ever, California votes will matter in determining the presidential nominee.

And stuff's about to get real.

The "Move to March" pushed the primary into the Super Tuesday mix--raising the stakes for the nation's most populous state. Now going into Super Tuesday, hundreds of delegates and millions of dollars are up for grabs. The Democratic nominee is undecided and unaffiliated and first-time voters are flexing their power. So, how do candidates harness that power? What lengths will they go to capture those golden votes in the 2020 California Primary?

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