Cynthia Nixon runs for N.Y. governor
Cynthia Nixon is such a Miranda.
Of the four main characters from HBO’s “Sex and the City,” Nixon’s driven, Type-A personality lawyer would have been the most likely to run for governor.
Guess what — Nixon, 51, is doing just that in the state of New York. After months of hinting and hedging, Nixon made her candidacy official Monday through Twitter. “I love New York, and today I’m announcing my candidacy for governor. Join us,” she wrote in the tweet, which also included a two-minute video.
A victory would make Nixon the first openly gay woman to hold the position. But first she will have to challenge two-term governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary in September.
“Women have to lead and speak up,” Nixon said in an interview with People. “I just think we need to have more people of color and women and LGBT people not just represented — but leading. If we want to fix our world, they know what’s wrong with it because they’ve been on the short end of the stick.”
A hypothetical poll released Monday prior to Nixon’s announcement shows that she’s a clear underdog against Cuomo, 66 to 19 percent, according to a report by the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle. The poll also favors Cuomo over the two main GOP contenders, Dutchess County executive Marcus Molinaro and Syracuse Sen. John DeFrancisco.
Nixon will make education her top priority, and has in the past put the blame on Cuomo for the divide between the state’s richest and poorest schools, according to People. “New York is where I was raised, and where I’m raising my kids,” she said in the video. “I’m a proud public school graduate, and a prouder public school parent. I was given chances I just don’t see for most of New York’s kids today. Our leaders are letting us down.”
Nixon backed Bill de Blasio during his successful New York City mayoral bid in 2014. She has served on the advisory board for the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City.