Andrew Yang Raises Over $1.2 Million In One Night Ahead Of Iowa Caucuses

Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang‘s campaign revealed that it raised $6.7 million in the month of January, with over $1.2 million raised on January 31 alone. The achievement is close to his campaign’s current record for the highest single-day haul, which was $1.3 million on December 31.

“We’ve carried our momentum from the previous quarter into the new year as we head into the Iowa Caucuses, and now we’re in a prime position to compete on the ground and over the airwaves,” Campaign Chief Nick Ryan said in a statement. “Our strength in grassroots fundraising continues to place us among the front of the pack, but in order to secure enough delegates to go all the way to the convention, we’re going to need to keep outdoing ourselves.”

According to Ryan, the fundraising provides the campaign with the resources necessary to contend with established candidates that have the benefit of lobbyist ties and bundlers funding their campaigns.

The news comes as the Iowa caucuses approach on February 3. A recent Morning Consult poll put Yang at 8 percent in Iowa and the other early states of Nevada, South Carolina, and New Hampshire. Nationwide, the pollster put Yang at 5 percent, echoing a recent Fox News poll that put him in the same position. In addition, a Washington Post/ABC News national poll put Yang at 7 percent and in fifth place.

Ahead of the caucuses, the Venture for America founder topped the Iowa Youth Straw Poll with 3,370 votes. He barely edged out Bernie Sanders, who came in second with 3,200 votes.

The candidate has been making the final push before the caucuses and harnessing the star power of comedian Dave Chappelle, who has endorsed Yang and recently encouraged voters to support the businessman on Monday in a new online ad available on YouTube.

Yang also received an endorsement from comedian Doug Stanhope, making him another in a long line of comics that have thrown their support behind the candidate. Since his endorsement, Stanhope has been promoting Yang on Twitter and claims to have donated to the campaign.

In another promotion to generate momentum for Yang ahead of the Iowa caucuses, rapper Fatboy SSE and bodybuilder NDO Champ handed out bundles of $1,000 to residents of the Harlem neighborhood in New York City. The stunt promotes his campaign’s signature proposal, which is a universal basic income (UBI) of $1,000 per month, branded the Freedom Dividend.

According to Yang, a UBI is necessary in the face of the automation of the U.S. economy.