Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon may be about to announce her run for Governor of New York
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Cynthia Nixon could be about to launch her bid to be the next Governor of New York.
If elected, the former Sex and the City star would be the state’s first-ever openly gay Governor, and the first woman to serve in the role.
After months of considering a primary challenge to Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo, she has now consulted with strategists Bill Hyers and Rebecca Katz, according to reports.
Hyers and Katz used to be top advisors to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who employs Nixon’s wife of six years, Christine Marinoni, and has enjoyed Nixon’s support in the past.
Nixon, an Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award-winner most famous for her role as Miranda Hobbes, has long opposed Cuomo’s policies, and has been especially vocal over the past year.
Last month, while picking up a Visibility Award at the Human Rights Campaign’s New York Gala, she gave an impassioned speech attacking wealth inequality and “corporate Democrats”.
1) These two clips are really worth watching. Looks like Cynthia Nixon has decided to join the revolution. pic.twitter.com/GW3LvzGnxZ
— Shant Mesrobian (@ShantMM) March 7, 2018
During her appearance on The View last year, she accused the Governor – who is seeking a third term in office – of “shortchanging the children of New York.”
The 51-year-old actress is also an outspoken critic of President Trump.
She has blasted Mike Pence as the “poster boy for anti-LGBT rhetoric, legislation and conversion therapy”, calling on LGBT people to reject his agenda.
(Twitter/cynthianixon)
Speaking at a rally days after Trump was inaugurated, she said: “As LGBT people, we know how important coming out is, but I would argue that our coming out has never been more important than it is right now.
“We need to come out not just as queer, but as people who know all too well what it feels like to be put in a box that says ‘other,’ less than,’ ‘easy target if you’re looking for someone to bully, harass, discriminate against, demonise, beat up, even kill.”
And in January, the actress wrote on Twitter: “Taking our country back is going to require all of us to step up and take action – including more women, people of colour, queer people, and first-generation Americans running for office.”
(Instagram/cynthiaenixon)
Reacting to reports, Nixon’s publicist Rebecca Capellan said: “Many concerned New Yorkers have been encouraging Cynthia to run for office, and as she has said previously, she will continue to explore it.
“If and when such a decision is made, Cynthia will be sure to make her plans public,” she added,” according to The New York Times.
Four Governors of New York – Martin van Buren, Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt – have gone on to become President, more than any other state.
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Cuomo didn’t pay too much heed to Nixon’s potential challenge yesterday, telling reporters with a laugh: “In this business, you can’t let these things bother you.
“Otherwise you won’t last long.”
Nixon caused controversy shortly before her marriage to Marinoni, when she claimed her sexuality was a choice.
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She later clarified her comments by saying that her sexuality was not a choice, but that she did choose to be in a gay relationship.
Clarifying her sexuality, she said: “I didn’t really identify as bisexual, but people were so insistent that I pick [label]… you know, it caused a huge controversy and everyone wanted to graft on to me this narrative ― [that] I felt that I had just simply been mistaken about myself for all these years and finally the veil was lifted and I was a lesbian. And that was not true.”
