Sex and the City star and gubernatorial challenger Cynthia Nixon laid into New York governor Andrew Cuomo during her appearance on The Late Show Wednesday.
The actress was discussing her run for the city’s Democratic candidate for governor with host Stephen Colbert, when he asked why she’d decided to use the slogan ‘Cynthia for New York’ rather than ‘Nixon for New York’.
Nixon joked that she didn’t mind using her surname, despite the resemblance to notoriously unpopular president Richard Nixon.
‘I would rather be the good Nixon than the bad Cuomo,’ she said.
Sex and the City star and gubernatorial challenger Cynthia Nixon laid into New York governor Andrew Cuomo during her appearance on The Late Show Wednesday
Nixon’s (right) dig at Andrew Cuomo (left) comes amid her heavy criticism of the governor who she claims has acted as a ‘centrist’ politician to get support from ‘big money donors’
Nixon’s blistering dig at Cuomo comes amid her heavy criticism of the governor who she claims has acted as a ‘centrist’ politician to get support from ‘big money donors.’
She added that Cuomo ‘allowed Republicans to gerrymander their own districts’.
The 52-year-old explained that she had decided to run because ‘I’m a lifelong New Yorker and I love this state and I just know we could do so much better.’
She added that the Democratic state was being run by a governor ‘who governs like a Republican.’
The 52-year-old explained that she had decided to run because ‘I’m a lifelong New Yorker and I love this state and I just know we could do so much better’
Nixon (left) told Colbert (right) that New York was falling behind fellow Democratic state cities such as Washington DC and California
Nixon told Colbert that New York was falling behind fellow Democratic state cities such as Washington DC and California who she argues are ahead in campaign finance reform, voting reform and criminal justice reform.
‘We want to be closing racial and economic inequity here and we’re just not.’
Nixon also shrugged off any comparison to fellow celebrity-turned-politician, President Trump.
‘I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with celebrities in politics, it gives you a platform, but it’s what you do with that platform,’ Nixon explained.
She added that Trump had inherited his wealth and his real estate business from his family, while she forged her own career as an actress.
Nixon also made the comparison of Glenda Jackson, who took decades off performing on the stage to serve in Parliament.
She also touched upon her platform to legalize cannabis, arguing that it was a racial issue as only people of color were ever arrested for using it
She also touched upon her platform to legalize cannabis, arguing that it was a racial issue as only people of color were ever arrested for using it.
‘I think it’s important to let people know that I’ve only smoked pot twice in my life,’ she told Colbert, laughing ‘It’s so embarrassing. It’s so embarrassing.’
‘But to be serious for a moment, I think there’s a lot of reasons we should legalize marijuana here. But the number one is that it’s a racial justice issue, that in the city of New York, for example, if you’re a person of color, you’re 10 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana than if you’re white.
‘For all intents and purposes, for white people, marijuana has legally been– effectively been legal for a long time. And I just think it’s time to make it legal for everybody else.’
In the state of New York, it is illegal to possess marijuana unless you have a medical recommendation for it however police tend not to punish anyone found with small amounts. If a person is caught with under 25 grams of it on their person, they are subject to fines of up to $250 for the first two offenses and will be jailed on a third time for 15 days.
Nixon’s position differs to incumbent governor Andrew Cuomo who previously described marijuana as a ‘gateway drug’.
The actress is also running on a pledge to improve New York transport, education and healthcare, as well as ending mass incarceration.
Nixon has faced some backlash for her run, including from former New York City Council speaker and mayoral candidate Christine Quinn who called her an ‘unqualified lesbian.’
But she has also found growing support, including from her former costars Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall.
New York’s primary race will be held September 13.