Cynthia Nixon tells New Yorkers: Vote for the homo, not for Cuomo

Cynthia Nixon has flipped the script on a famous homophobic election campaign – with the slogan “Vote for the homo, not for Cuomo.”

Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon, a long-time LGBT activist, is running for Governor of New York as a left-wing challenger to current Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary.

Nixon, who could make history as New York’s first out Governor, ribbed her opponent in a comedic speech at the Legislative Correspondents Association show in Albany.

New York gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

She told the crowd: “When I first announced that I was running for Governor, a Cuomo surrogate attacked me as an unqualified lesbian, but I wasn’t phased – we went ahead as planned, and released a video calling for legalising marijuana. It’s like Michelle Obama said, when they go low, we get high.”

Joking about the Governor’s attempts to appeal to liberals in the race, she said: “Cuomo thinks that I should stick to acting, but after seeing him try to play the part of a progressive, I think he should stick to politics.

“His performance as a progressive has not been very convincing of late. You might say he’s an unqualified thespian.”

She also referenced a notoriously homophobic campaign linked to Cuomo.

Cuomo was managing his father Mario Cuomo’s challenge to New York City Mayor Ed Koch in 1977 when a smear campaign was launched bearing the slogan ‘Vote for Cuomo, not for the homo’. The Cuomo campaign denied responsibility at the time.

New York gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Recalling the scandal, Nixon joked: “Andrew Cuomo is known for dirty politics, but I have to give credit where it’s due, his history of cutthroat campaigns helped inspire my campaign’s new slogan, ‘Vote for the homo, not for Cuomo’.”