Brian Varela’s long shot campaign against Robert Menendez Jr. in CD-8 got some national attention today.

Varela announced an endorsement from Andrew Yang, a Democratic candidate for president in 2020.

“I really connected with Brian,” Yang said in a statement issued by the Varela campaign. “We are very similar.”

By that, Yang meant that both he and Varela are political outsiders and in “real life,” entrepreneurs and successful businessmen.

Yang’s message resonated early in the 2020 presidential primary season, but his appeal soon fizzled. More recently, Yang ran last year for New York City mayor, but his campaign never gained traction.

Still, he is a “name” figure in the world of politics.

Varela, of course, faces long odds.

Menendez Jr., the son of the senator by the same name, was quickly endorsed by virtually the entire Democratic establishment as a replacement for the retiring Albio Sires. Varela is going to need a slew of big time endorsements to be competitive in that landscape.