Getty Cynthia Nixon
Cynthia Nixon delivered a concession speech on Tuesday night, after losing badly in the election for governor of New York. You can watch her whole speech here.
Nixon delivered her speech at Cafe Omar in Flatbush, Brooklyn, at a party hosted by the Working Families Party. WFP also endorsed Jumaane Williams, who ran for Lieutenant Governor, and Zephyr Teachout, who ran for New York attorney general. Williams lost his race to Kathy Hochul, the incumbent. Teachout lost her race to Letitia James.
You can also watch Teachout speaking here.
Nixon Told The Crowd, ‘The Blue Wave Is Real’
Nixon told her voters, “we don’t just need to elect more Democrats, we need to elect better Democrats.” She said, “The blue wave is real. And it isn’t just coming for Republicans; it’s coming for Democrats who act like Republicans.”
She shouted out the victories of Julia Salazar and Alessandra Biagi before saying, “We took on the most powerful governor in America, and it wasn’t easy…we started with nothing and we earned every vote. And the establishment came at us with everything they had.”
She noted — to loud boos — that Cuomo had spent 25 million dollars on the campaign. But she said, “I am not discouraged. I am inspired, and I hope you are too.”
Nixon Said She and Her Supporters Have ‘Fundamentally Changed the Political Landscape’ in New York State
Nixon urged her supporters not to feel discouraged, because, she said, “we have fundamentally changed the political landscape in this state. And we have changed what is expected on a Democratic candidate running in New York, and what we can demand from our leaders.”
She said the campaign had forced Cuomo to talk about legalizing marijuana and to move toward full legalization. And she said her campaign had also made New Yorkers understand taht Governor Cuomo controls the New York subway and is responsible for fixing it. Nixon listed other key reforms that she has pushed for — banning plastic bags, cleaning up the New York environment, and restoring voting rights to felons.
“Some people call this the Cynthia effect That’s not what I call it. I call it what happens when we hold our government accountable,” she said, adding that she gives credit to the grassroots energy that propelled her campaign forward.