Democratic Presidential Candidate Andrew Yang Reports Death Threats to FBI

Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang’s campaign contacted the FBI after receiving emails threatening to shoot Yang and members of his campaign team while they visited New Hampshire. A spokesperson said the threats were sent via email by an individual using the name “HitmanYang.”

Both local law enforcement and federal authorities are investigating the threats but yet to comment.

“Recently, the campaign received threats via email regarding the candidate and specific public events.… The candidate’s safety and the safety of the public at-large is our utmost priority,” a spokesperson for Yang’s campaign said. “We’ve referred the matter to the FBI for investigation.”

The death threats were issued over several emails to Yang’s campaign, which mentioned campaign tweets and specific events hosted by the candidate. The Hill, which was granted access to the emails, reported that it appears they were sent from multiple individuals. Although the content of the emails have not been made public, one reportedly stated that wagers were being placed about the number of tweets that would be sent by Yang’s campaign.

Yang, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, is not the first Democrat presidential hopeful to face death threats. Earlier this year, a man from Florida was convicted for leaving threatening voicemail messages for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in May. Last year, a man from Maryland was arrested for sending death threats to both Sanders and Sen. Kamala Harris.

FBI officials have said they were bracing for an uptick in politically and hate-motivated violence in the runup to the 2020 presidential election, citing increasingly heated rhetoric and criminal incidents.

Current polls place Yang in sixth place among Democratic candidates, moving ahead after Harris ended her bid for the nomination on Tuesday. Yang’s unique policy proposals have helped him stand out from others in the crowded field, including his advocacy for a universal basic income which would include a monthly $1,000 stipend to all Americans.