“Breaking Bad” actor Steven Michael Quezada wants to step up in hometown Albuquerque politics, from school board member to county commissioner.
After playing DEA Agent Steven Gomez for five seasons on the critically acclaimed AMC drama alongside Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, Quezada has decided to join three others in seeking the seat for the Bernalillo County Commission.
"I think I bring a new face to the Democratic Party," said Quezada who is a member of the Albuquerque school board,
according to The Associated Press. "We need to reach out to our young people — the young Chicanos, the young Latinos — and get them involved in this process and let them know this is important."
The 52-year-old’s involvement comes at a time when the Democratic Party is still rebuilding itself after a major loss in 2014, when Republican Gov. Susana Martinez was reelected and after the GOP took over the New Mexico House.
Javier Quezada, executive director of the SouthWest Organizing Project, an organization that opposed the development of the planned community Santolina, which Quezada also voted against, expressed support for Quezada’s commitment to running for office.
"We are seeing the consequences of irresponsible development," Benavidez said. "We need leaders who are going to commit to responsible growth and not just recruit new Wal-Marts and chain restaurants."
Quezada originally voted against the Santolina development as a member of the Albuquerque public school board due to community concerns that the plan would take away water from nearby neighborhoods.
Quezada is a long time resident of Albuquerque and studied Theater at Eastern New Mexico University. He has been working as an actor for the past decade,
according to the Daily Mail.
“Breaking Bad,” which coincidentally was set in Albuquerque, followed former high school teacher Walter White, played by Bryan Cranston, who teamed up with past student Jesse Pinkman, played by Aaron Paul, to make and sell methamphetamines.
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