Cynthia Nixon may have a supporter in her Sex and the City costar Kristin Davis for her run for governor, but don’t count former New York City mayoral candidate Christine Quinn in Nixon’s camp.
The former city council speaker made it clear in an interview with the New York Post that she wouldn’t be voting for the 51-year-old actress, who announced her Democratic candidacy for governor of New York on Monday.
“I’m surprised by this race. It’s a flight of fancy on her part,” Quinn, who’s also a Democrat, told the outlet.
In the 2013 Democratic primary for NYC mayor, Nixon backed Bill de Blasio rather than the openly gay Quinn, also 51.
“Cynthia Nixon was opposed to having a qualified lesbian become mayor of New York City. Now she wants to be an unqualified lesbian to be the governor of New York,” Quinn added. “You have to be qualified and have experience. She isn’t qualified to be the governor.”
Quinn added that despite Nixon’s lucrative career in Hollywood and advocating for social movements, she lacks the background to succeed in politics.
“She’s an accomplished actress, a supporter of political causes and that’s a good thing. Participating in rallies is important. But she’s never run an organization,” Quinn said. “Being an actress and celebrity doesn’t make you qualified for public office. This is a time to move away from celebrity and toward progressive leadership.”
In response to the comments, Nixon told the New York Post that it was not about “her being a lesbian and my being a lesbian.” Rather, she’s concerned with “the corruption in Albany. It’s time for an outsider. I’m not an Albany insider.”
Quinn later took to Twitter to clarify her comments, writing, “To be clear, Cynthia Nixon’s identity has no bearing on her candidacy and it was not my intention to suggest it did. I want to be clear about that. I would never, EVER, criticize someone because of their identity.”
“Cynthia Nixon aggressively opposed my candidacy in New York despite my qualifications for the office and despite my strong progressive credentials. I was attempting to make a comparison between the two of us,” she continued, concluding that her “real point” was about Nixon’s lack of qualifications.
To be clear, Cynthia Nixon’s identity has no bearing on her candidacy and it was not my intention to suggest it did. I want to be clear about that. I would never, EVER, criticize someone because of their identity. 1/4
— Christine Quinn (@chriscquinn) March 20, 2018
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I’ve experienced it time and time again, and would never support it or condone it. As a lesbian who ran one of the most high profile races in the country, i know what that’s like. And I know it’s imperative that we encourage more members of our community to run for office. 2/4
— Christine Quinn (@chriscquinn) March 20, 2018
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Cynthia Nixon aggressively opposed my candidacy in New York despite my qualifications for the office and despite my strong progressive credentials. I was attempting to make a comparison between the two of us. 3/4
— Christine Quinn (@chriscquinn) March 20, 2018
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The real point I am trying to make is that qualifications matter and records matter. I do not believe she has the qualifications or the record. 4/4
— Christine Quinn (@chriscquinn) March 20, 2018
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Although Quinn admitted that she and Nixon have similar progressive political views, the actress previously said that they don’t have much in common besides their belief in gay rights.
“I’ve got to say, I’m not anti-Chris Quinn. I worked alongside her in the marriage fight, and I believe she was incredibly eloquent and incredibly effective,” Nixon told The New York Times in 2013. “But apart from that particular gay issue, I don’t see a lot of stuff where I line up with her. I think it’s a sign of progress. It’s like the smoke has cleared in some way and gays, blacks, Caucasians and everybody is able to see beyond the person that might look like them, and go more for the person’s voting record or the person’s plan for the city.”
I love New York, and today I'm announcing my candidacy for governor. Join us: https://t.co/9DwsxWW8xX pic.twitter.com/kYTvx6GZiD
— Cynthia Nixon (@CynthiaNixon) March 19, 2018
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Nixon officially announced her run for governor on Monday.
“New York is my home. I’ve never lived anywhere else,” she says in a two-minute video shared on Twitter, noting that she grew up with her single mom in a one bedroom fifth-floor walkup.
Later in the video, she says that while she loves her home state, “something has to change.”
If Nixon wins, she’ll be the first openly gay woman to hold the position.
“Women have to lead and speak up,” Nixon told PEOPLE exclusively in March.
“I just think we need to have more people of color and women and LGBT people not just represented — but leading,” said the mom of three at the time. “If we want to fix our world, they know what’s wrong with it because they’ve been on the short end of the stick.”
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