Andrew Yang was smart and self-aware enough of his own political goals and the electoral reality of RCV to endorse Kathryn Garcia near the end of the NYC mayora

Andrew Yang was smart and self-aware enough of his own political goals and the electoral reality of RCV to endorse Kathryn Garcia near the end of the NYC mayoral primary. I respected that. In FPTP the spoiler effect is not just a bogeyman that the two dominant parties trot out to scare you into voting for them, it's a well-understood mathematical inevitability. Perot led to Clinton. Nader led to Bush II. Any third party in America that reaches the brink of national prominence will be (and has been) counterproductive to its own professed aims. I think what is most relevant to Yang is that this is extremely understood in the hyperpartisan modern environment. See the conservative glee and support for Kanye West's 2020 campaign, and the liberal celebration at rumors that Donald Trump was starting a new political party. Being extremely selective about where to run candidates and focusing on a handful of "non-partisan" issues (good luck) would help a lot. However, Yang's first hurdle will be be swimming upstream against potential allies who will not want to give "the other side" a win. I honestly don't think anyone can win that fight right now.