Alec Baldwin may run for NYC mayor
Is the king of "30 Rock" going to run for mayor of New York?
Alec Baldwin Tuesday told Bloomberg TV he would "love to" run for the city's highest office after his contract with NBC is up in 2013, adding that "four years is an eternity in an American political life."
"Let's see what things are like in 2014," Baldwin said, adding, "I would love to do it. I would still like to consider doing that because I do a lot of this work now and I wonder what it would be like if I had a staff and budget to do it."
Baldwin, 54, has long flirted with the idea of running for office, but said in a December podcast he had "lost [his] appetite" to run.
Still, the left-leaning actor has remained vocal about politics, and he was in Washington to advocate for more funding for the arts Tuesday when he made the mayoral remarks.
Former Mayor Ed Koch told amNewYork that while Baldwin is a "controversial personality," elections are so unpredictable you shouldn't rule anyone out.
"When I ran, less than 5 percent of people in the city knew my name, and I still became mayor nevertheless," Koch said. "So I don't disparage anybody who is thinking of running."
Baldwin's representative, Matthew Hiltzik, said the actor "has no plans to run, but if he did, I'm sure it would be a hell of a campaign."
For some New Yorkers, a Baldwin mayoralty would be a dream.
"Alec is outspoken about our broken tax code and I don't think he would be afraid to take on the political establishment and stand up for what is right," said Gabrielle Acierno, 22, of Manhattan.
Others were more skeptical.
"Fuhgeddaboudit. It ain't happening," said Doug Muzzio, co-director of the Center for the Study of Innovation and Leadership in Government at Baruch College.
Most Popular
Top Stories
