Cynthia Nixon may have secured only 5 percent of the vote in New York’s Democratic gubernatorial endorsement process, but her quest to unseat incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) presses on.
“I am attending the convention today because New York Democrats deserve to have at least one actual Democrat running for governor at their state convention,” Nixon said Wednesday at the state’s Democratic Convention, admitting that she never expected to nail the 25 percent of votes needed to receive the party’s endorsement. “We are here to show we are not afraid, and this is our party too, and that voters have an alternative.”
Cuomo won 95 percent of the vote, which according to Nixon’s team didn’t come as a shock.
The fact that Cuomo would snag the endorsement was “100 percent expected,” Nixon campaign spokeswoman Lauren Hitt told HuffPost. “Most people running for office will have to collect signatures to be on the ballot. It’s not seen as any significant hurdle.”
In New York state, the candidate endorsed by the party is the only person who doesn’t need to collect petition signatures in order to feature on the primary ballot. Nixon, she added, fully intends to snag the 15,000 petition signatures.
The “Sex and the City” star has positioned herself as an anti-establishment Democrat in a race against a politician who she says appeals more to Republicans than members of his own party. She’s attacked him for what she says is his failure to cater to the needs of many voters, hitting on minimal job creation and New York City’s decaying subway system.
New York has been “hungry” for a wider progressive vision, she said Wednesday on MSNBC’s “All In With Chris Hayes.”
Yet Cuomo does have the support of some of his party’s biggest names. Hillary Clinton endorsed Cuomo this week, saying Wednesday at the convention that the incumbent, who’s running for a third term, represents a leader “who will stand up for progressive values.” Former Vice President Joe Biden is expected to speak on Thursday as Cuomo officially accepts the nomination.
This has been updated with comment from Hitt.