Andrew Yang Says Lack Of Diversity On Debate Stage Reflects ‘Inequities And Realities’ In Economy

Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang made an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Wednesday night, sharing his thoughts on Tuesday’s primary debate and its lack of diversity. Yang didn’t make it to the debate stage himself, but that didn’t stop him from trending on social media and securing a well-timed celebrity endorsement from comedian Dave Chappelle.

During the interview, Colbert noted that every candidate on Tuesday’s debate stage was white and asked Yang who bears responsibility: the Democratic National Committee for setting the rules or the voters who aren’t responding to the messages from candidates of color?

Yang echoed comments he made at the sixth Democratic debate, linking the lack of diversity to the economic realities of many communities of color.

“Fewer than five percent of Americans donate to political campaigns,” he said. “You need disposable income to contribute to campaigns, and you need some form of security in order to run for office. So what happened on the stage last night reflects the inequities and realities in our economy.”

According to the 44-year-old serial entrepreneur, the lack of resources among communities of color must be addressed to achieve more diversity in politics.

“We should be more concerned with changing those realities on the ground and if we did that, than the stage would look very, very different.”

With New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker‘s recent departure from the race, Yang and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard are the last remaining candidates of color in the Democratic primary. While Yang has mostly avoided drawing attention to his race, focusing on his signature proposal of a universal basic income of $1,000 per month, Politico reports that he now feels “a bit of extra pressure” as the primary race continues to narrow.

Although Yang has noted that race has not played a central role in his campaign thus far, he says that being the only candidate of color on the debate stage last month made it “more natural to talk about.”

Yang is sixth in the polls with 3.6 percent support. While the requirements for the three February debates have yet to be released, the businessman believes he will be able to meet them. Regardless, Yang notes that his campaign — which has been driven by a steady grassroots movement — is not reliant on the debates to survive.

“The debates are helpful,” he said before noting that they aren’t “as central to the process” as they were in other cycles or campaigns.