Actress Cynthia Nixon loses New York Governor primary
Washington: Actress Cynthia Nixon has failed in her bid to be the Democratic nominee for New York Governor as she lost to incumbent Andrew Cuomo in the state’s primary.
The 52-year-old “Sex and the City” actress fought her campaign as a left-wing challenger to the current governor Cuomo. He gained 65 per cent of the vote to Nixon’s 35 per cent in the primary on Thursday, the New York Times reported.
In the wake of her defeat, Nixon said on Twitter that she was “not discouraged” but “inspired” by the result, urging her supporters to continue their progressive campaigns.
Cuomo marshalled the support of nearly all of the state and country’s most powerful Democratic brokers — elected officials, party leaders, labour unions and wealthy real estate interests — to defeat Nixon for his third term as the New York Governor.
He has been in the post since 2011 and will face a general election in the state on November 6.
In addition to the lavish campaign spending, Cuomo secured endorsements from former Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, former Vice-President Joe Biden and rapper Nicki Minaj.
He had put a lot of emphasis on the liberal changes he brought as Governor, such as same-sex marriage, gun control and paid family leave, the media reported.
Cuomo has also been scathing about President Donald Trump’s administration, saying: “There is a divisiveness coming out of Washington that I think is cancerous to this nation.”
Conceding defeat, Nixon told her supporters: “The other side spent $25 million trying to drown us out. But we wouldn’t back down. We refused to be quiet and we made our voices heard. I am not discouraged. I am inspired.”
Cuomo tweeted “Thank You New York”, and skipped his own election night party to celebrate with family at the governor’s mansion in Albany.
According to reports, more women candidates than ever will contest US governorships and House seats in the mid-term polls. Many candidates selected by Democratic electorates have been from the party’s young and diverse progressive wing — urging talk of an anti-Trump “blue wave” in Congress.
Trump has warned that his policies will be “violently” overturned if the Democrats win the elections.
