Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang is set to appear at a virtual fundraising event Wednesday for Rochester-area state Senate candidate Jeremy Cooney. 

Yang, a New York businessman, is a native of upstate Schenectady who launched a presidential campaign an unknown, but sparked a sizeable Internet following along the way. 

The Cooney fundraiser is the first time Yang is becoming involved in a state Senate race since dropping his presidential bid earlier this year. 

"Jeremy was born in an Indian orphanage before he was adopted by a courageous single mother from Rochester," Yang said in a statement.

"After losing his mother to dementia and brain cancer, Jeremy devoted his career to serving the community that helped raise him. He's a lawyer and activist who has worked in government service trying to make the right policies a reality. Jeremy has pledged to back Universal Basic Income on the state-level. This is critical as we continue to mainstream our movement at all levels of government. Jeremy is just the kind of champion we need in Albany and a great guy."

Cooney is running for the state Senate for the second time. This year it is an open one amid the retirement of Republican Sen. Joe Robach in a district Democrats had long hoped to flip.