Andrew Yang Concedes in New York's Race for Mayor: 'I Am Looking Forward'

Spencer Platt/Getty Andrew Yang

Former Democratic presidential contender Andrew Yang and erstwhile mayoral front-runner conceded Tuesday night in the race to replace New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, saying in a speech that it was clear he didn't have enough votes in the city's ranked-choice voting system.

"You all know I am a numbers guy, I am 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, 46, said in a speech delivered late Tuesday to a group of volunteers and supporters.

He continued: "I am conceding this race. Though we're not sure who's the next mayor is going to be, but whoever that person is, I will be very happy to work with them to improve the lives of the 8.3 million people who live in our great city and I encourage everyone here to do the same."

On Twitter, Yang offered a message of thanks to those who supported him in the campaign.

"Thank you to everyone who supported me and Evelyn in the campaign to help New York! Love to you all. It was truly a people-powered campaign that broke records along the way. Thanks for making history alongside us. There's a long road ahead and I am looking forward," Yang wrote on Wednesday morning.

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Spencer Platt/Getty Andrew Yang

The former tech executive announced his candidacy for mayor in January, sharing a video on social media that preemptively underscored his love for the city and what he hoped to accomplish, even as detractors raised their eyebrows over the new venture.

Yang's local political profile was propelled largely by the celebrity from his national run for president as well as some of those same ideas, such as a universal basic income initiative and promises to revitalize the city post-COVID.

With his increased popularity - including omnipresent media appearances and a penchant for viral social media moments - came increased scrutiny about the depth of his past accomplishments and about how much he really understood about the job he was seeking.

Yang's wife, Evelyn, touched on the media attention in a recent interview with PEOPLE, saying, "I understand that Andrew is the front-runner in this race … so the level of scrutiny is just unbelievably high."

As for his occasional gaffes, Evelyn said, "We didn't grow up in politics. We're a real family, you know?"

("He has this sort of, like, irreverent, goofy dad humor that is not everyone's cup of tea," she said then. "I happen to like it, but I'm married to him. But sometimes, I roll my eyes at him, too.")

Spencer Platt/Getty Andrew Yang

Despite his high name recognition and leading in earlier polls, Yang received less than 12 percent of the votes cast so far - putting him in fourth place - according to an ongoing count of the ballots.

Tuesday's primary marked the first time the city has used ranked-choice voting, which allows voters to rank as many as five candidates.

Because it looks like none of the candidates will win an outright majority, the votes will shift to the ranked-choice system which means results may not be known for days if not weeks.

Whoever wins the Democratic primary is likely to win the general election in November. Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels and a radio host, won the Republican primary.

As of Wednesday, Eric Adams leads the Democratic field with roughly 31 percent of the partially counted vote. Civil rights attorney and activist Maya Wiley trailed Adams with 22 percent, while former Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia had about 21 percent of the vote.