Andrew Yang has announced that he needs space, and just really needs to focus on his career right now. Yang, who just so happens to have a book published on Tuesday, is a one-time tech entrepreneur, as well as a former Democratic candidate for the American presidency in 2020 and New York City mayor in 2021. On Monday, he announced in a blog post that he switched his voting registration from “Democrat” to “Independent.” “I’ve been a Democrat my entire adult life,” Yang wrote. “And yet, I’m confident that no longer being a Democrat is the right thing.”

He went on to describe the political system as “stuck” and that, now that he is no longer a member of the Democrats, “I feel like I can be even more honest about both the system and the people in it.” Early last month, Yang said that he would be forming his own political party, named the Forward Party, according to reports. “Breaking up with the Democratic Party feels like the right thing to do because I believe I can have a greater impact this way,” he wrote in his statement. “Am I right? Let’s find out. Together.” No word yet on whether he’s asked the Dems to stay friends.