Actress Cynthia Nixon announced on Monday that she plans to run for governor of New York, setting up a primary battle against incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Nixon launched a fundraising page for her campaign and put out a campaign video. The Democratic Primary will be held on Sept. 13, and Cuomo — a potential presidential candidate for 2020 — is running for his third term as governor.
In the two-minute-long video, Nixon talks about growing up in New York. “I was given chances I just don’t see for most of New York’s kids today,” she says. “Our leaders are letting us down. We are now the most unequal state in the entire country, with both incredible wealth and extreme poverty. Half the kids in our upstate cities live below the poverty line. How did we let this happen?”
She continues: “I love New York. I’ve never wanted to live anywhere else. But something has to change. We want our government to work again.”
Nixon mentioned health care, ending mass incarceration and New York City’s subway transportation woes as issues she plans to focus on.
The former Sex and the City actress has been rumored as a potential candidate since last summer. A search of the Federal Election Committee’s website did not turn up filing papers for Nixon, which means she has not yet formally entered the race.
(Excerpt) Read More in: The Hollywood Reporter