After months of speculation, Cynthia Nixon has officially announced that she’ll be challenging Governor Andrew Cuomo in this year’s Democratic gubernatorial primary in New York. She made her declaration this afternoon via Twitter.
I love New York, and today I'm announcing my candidacy for governor. Join us: https://t.co/9DwsxWW8xX pic.twitter.com/kYTvx6GZiD
— Cynthia Nixon (@CynthiaNixon) March 19, 2018
The New York Times notes that “Nixon, 51, has never before run for elected office and has chosen a huge undertaking for her first bid: seeking to unseat a two-term incumbent (and son of a three-term governor) who is sitting atop more than $30 million in campaign cash.” However, “The contest will likely become one of the marquee Democratic primaries in the nation, as Ms. Nixon is widely expected to challenge Mr. Cuomo from the political left.”
While Nixon is obviously most famously known as Miranda Hobbes from Sex and the City, she’s made a real name for herself in activist communities in recent years, championing education reform, reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, single payer healthcare, and affordable housing. Her wife, Christine Marinoni, is also longtime education activist who recently left her position with with New York City mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration to work with Nixon’s campaign.
Perhaps, most importantly to people who live in New York City, Nixon has promised to fix the subway (which she rides every day).
If Nixon wins the primary and defeats the Republican challenger in November, she’ll become the first woman and first openly LGBTQ governor of New York.
Hi, I love this & I also wanted to point out that Cynthia Nixon is bisexual!!!! Unless she’s said something since the last time I checked. (Miranda being bisexual is very very important to me, a bi)
https://www.advocate.com/news/daily-news/2012/01/30/cynthia-nixon-being-bisexual-not-choice
In a 2017 interview she said the following;
“I didn’t really identify as bisexual,” she said, “but people were so insistent that I pick a ― 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.”
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/cynthia-nixon-emily-dickinson-sexuality_us_5901e2d3e4b0026db1deaed2
I know “fixing the subway” should not be the most important voting issue, and it’s not, but also please fix the subways.
I mean it’s pretty damn important considering half (ish) of the state’s population lives in NYC
I’ve never actually seen Sex in the City. I will admit that celebrity politicians make me leery but I try to be open minded.
I watched her video though and she sounds amazing. I’m not a big fan of Cuomo who may occasionally say things I agree with and do things I like… but is clearly “for hire” to whoever has the cash and was handed things by daddy.
She sounds like someone I would be excited to support and I look forward to hearing more about her positions and politics.
Honestly since we’ve broken the seal in a big way on celebrity politicians being a thing, I’m really excited for one who is smart and personally invested in children and queer parents!
I think California did that when we elected Reagan(remember was a c-list actor and head of the actors union) and later on Arnold.
True! I was referring to the Cheeto.
Yes but what is her position on the Kim Cattrall vs Sarah Jessica Parker feud?
Jokes aside, I like her but please get some real experience at lower levels of government before going for something like this. Experience matters.
she’s been doing activism for a long time, tho.
i feel like conservatives don’t do this thing where they demand “the perfect candidate” before they get behind them, and I don’t think we can afford to right now, honestly.
why not run for state legislator and use that to learn how government really works, build up a solid network of political allies and resources, and be able to run for higher office knowing ahead of time what the job actually entails? It’s not too much to ask.
I’m a New Yorker and I won’t be voting for her. She wants to fix the subway well that’s a city thing not a state thing. I understand her advocacy has taken precedence in recent years but she never held public office, why not start small and work your way up. I would have considered voting for her more running for Mayor than Governor.
Agreed, we need boring, knowledgeable policy wonks and diplomats, not more well meaning but wholly inexperienced candidates.
And I am so worried because a lot of people/celebrities are supporting her blindly because…why? What has she proven she can do without experience? At a certain point you have to take friendship out of the equation and vote for the most qualified.
The MTA is a state entity
I’m pretty sure the governor (effectively, if not officially, but mostly also officially) controls the MTA. E.g. http://gothamist.com/2017/05/19/mta_cuomo_subway_broken.php, http://gothamist.com/2017/06/21/cuomo_mta_control.php, http://gothamist.com/2017/06/23/cuomo_mta_kabuki_showtime.php (only linking to Gothamist bc they were/are the best but also those headlines are fantastic, but they have a lot of helpful internal links too).
http://www.departmentoflesbianaffairs.com