Last fall, speculation began swirling around the political ambitions of actress Cynthia Nixon (of Sex and the City fame), who was reported to be considering a gubernatorial campaign in New York. Yet while responding to Reuters, Nixon declared only that she had been encouraged to pursue a political career, and “yes,” she’d considered such a trajectory. A few weeks ago, Nixon simply answered “maybe” to whether she wanted to challenge Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo, and then she wrote a CNN op-ed, in which she encouraged those who desire change to “[take] the leap to run for office ourselves.”
Over the weekend, Nixon didn’t exactly shy away from further stoking the fires while speaking at the annual Human Rights Campaign Greater New York gala. Although she stopped short of declaring any candidacy, Nixon took some obvious shots at Cuomo, who she appears to be accusing of not effecting change for income equality and, therefore, not being “blue” enough:
“In 2018, we don’t just need to elect more Democrats, we also need better Democrats … If we had bluer Democrats, New York wouldn’t have the worst inequality in the country. For all the pride that we take here in being such a blue state, New York has the single worst income inequality of any state in the country — how can we know this fact and let it stand without actively working to change it?”
If Nixon is (secretly) serious about a bid for New York governor, she’ll have to declare as much soon, for the primary will occur in September. However, her call for “better Democrats” will likely find some support with NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has criticized Cuomo for compromising too much with Republicans in the legislature. Cuomo responded to de Blasio by stressing the importance of avoiding “gridlock,” but indeed, there’s a growing chorus for Democrats to shake up their tactics and produce candidates who don’t simply execute an “old idea” while trying to effect progressive change. Whether a Cynthia Nixon candidacy could be one answer to this dilemma, only time will tell.
(Via Reuters, Spectrum News NY 1, CNN & Politico)