A day after announcing her run for governor of New York, actor Cynthia Nixon was late to her first campaign event on Tuesday because of subway delays.
“I literally had to get off three separate trains and that doesn’t include when we were able to stay on the trains but just sit in the tunnel,” Nixon told a New York Times reporter.
When asked if she thought the delay represented an auspicious beginning to her campaign, Nixon replied, “I think it is a quintessential moment in Cuomo's MTA daily life.”
That thing when you’re headed to talk about fixing the subways and your train goes out of service. #CuomosMTA
The native New Yorker addressed subway delays in her speech in Brownsville, Brooklyn, on Tuesday morning, taking aim at Gov. Andrew Cuomo, whom she is challenging for the Democratic nomination.
"We need to fix our broken subway. You know that and I know that, because we are on it every day, unlike Gov. Cuomo,” Nixon said. "The subway is the lifeblood of our city. If the subway dies, so does New York, and right now our subways are on life support."
Cynthia NIXON speaks about her no good commute to her first event: “A quintessential moment in Cuomo’s MTA”
The former Sex and the City actor spoke about a number of issues, from racial inequality to improving public school systems, as well as enforcing minimum wage laws and ending "mass incarceration and the over-policing of communities of color."
Nixon, who is seeking to run against Cuomo from the left, also criticized the governor and other New York lawmakers for being too close to big business.
“We are tired of corruption and dysfunction in Albany, and we are tired of fake corporate Democrats who won't lift a finger unless their donors say it's okay," said Nixon, who vowed that her campaign would not accept “a single dime of corporate money."
When asked about Nixon's possible run for governor earlier this month, Cuomo joked on a conference call, "It was either the mayor of New York or Vladimir Putin."
"Normally name recognition is relevant when it has some connection to the endeavor," Cuomo said. "If it’s just about name recognition, then I’m hoping Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, and Billy Joel don’t get into the race."
Christine Quinn, former New York City Council speaker and an openly gay supporter of Cuomo, told the New York Post on Tuesday that Nixon is an "unqualified lesbian" and called the race "a flight of fancy on her part." (Nixon supported Bill de Blasio over Quinn in the 2013 mayoral race.)
“Cynthia Nixon was opposed to having a qualified lesbian become mayor of New York City," Quinn told the Post. "Now she wants an unqualified lesbian to be the governor of New York. You have to be qualified and have experience. She isn’t qualified to be the governor."
There has been speculation Cuomo will appoint Quinn as his running mate.
Sex and the City actor Kristin Davis, who played Charlotte on the hit HBO series, tweeted her support for her former costar's campaign on Monday.
I am so proud of @CynthiaNixon , no one cares more than she does about EVERY person getting a fair change and a good education. I know that she would be an excellent Governor ! https://t.co/xEAyRxFBb8
Representatives for Sarah Jessica Parker (Carrie Bradshaw), Kim Cattrall (Samantha Jones), and David Eigenberg (Steve Brady) did not immediately respond to requests for comment on whether they would also endorse Nixon. A representative for Chris Noth, who played Mr. Big, said the actor was currently working overseas and could not be reached, “but he loves Cynthia.”