Vote for Miranda: Sex and the City Star and Tony Winner Cynthia Nixon Announces her bid for Governor of New York
To many people, actors should “be quiet and stick to acting.” When an actor or another person in the public eye voices opinions about politics, internet message boards overflow with commenters telling them to “shut up,” and asking why we should care about said opinions. However, celebrities have been in politics for decades. Many former entertainers have held high level positions, including “Saturday Night Live” alum Al Franken, singer Sonny Bono, actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who served two terms as governor of California, and Ronald Reagan who was primarily an actor before becoming POTUS. In the wake of the Donald Trump presidency, another famous New Yorker is throwing her name into politics — Cynthia Nixon.
Miranda for Governor
On Monday, March 19, news broke among different social media outlets that the actress, best known for her role as Miranda Hobbs on “Sex and the City,” is running for Governor of New York. She released an ad via her website and social platforms showcasing her life in New York with her kids, and exploring the state’s juxtaposition between extreme wealth and extreme poverty, vowing to “get to the root problem of inequity by turning the system upside down.”
Critical Backlash
Nixon’s run for Governor has been met with criticism from both parties. New York Daily News contributor Linda Stasi published a column on Wednesday, March 21st detailing her opinion about Nixon’s lack of credentials for the job. She thinks that this is a mere publicity stunt. Stasi writes, “Nixon whines that kids nowadays aren’t given the same opportunities she was given as a proud New York City public school student back in the day. Apparently she forgot that public schools in New York City in the 1970s and ’80s, when she attended were so horrible that they were practically uninhabitable.” Much of the article goes on to criticize Nixon for attacking the New York government that Stasi believes has benefitted Nixon through much of the past two decades. Interestingly, Stasi’s article was flagged as “fake news” by Facebook for several hours, and the author herself made the news for not being able to promote the article with the popular social platform.
Digging Up Old Feuds
Following Nixon’s announcement, she was trending on Twitter for hours. Some users applauded her for addressing the issue of extreme poverty both in the city and upstate, while others used the platform to make “Sex and the City” jokes. Gossip rags soon used the news to highlight last month’s reported feud between Nixon’s co-stars, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall. Publications including InStyle (@InStyle) tweeted a speculative story regarding Cattrall’s response to Nixon’s political aspirations.
The Hype Machine
Scrolling through Nixon’s Instagram feed (@CynthiaENixon), it is apparent that she is an ardent political activist. She has been a regular at marches and rallies for the past two years, and as of this week, her Instagram is curated to draw potential voters in to her cause. Among videos, including the one in which she announces her gubernatorial bid, are images of her family, her old co-stars and plenty protest signs drawing attention to the issues that will serve as Nixon’s platform. Like Twitter users, many Instagrammers using the hashtag #CynthiaNixon seem either supportive of the actress and wish her luck, or they have used the platform to post more “Sex and the City” jokes and memes.
Whether Nixon moves forward in the gubernatorial race remains to be seen, and it is likely that she may fall victim to voter fatigue with celebrities holding positions in public office. But over the past 18 months, Nixon is one who has consistently shown that she is passionate about political issues, and she will likely stay the course until voters have spoken.