Alec Baldwin Eyes New York Politics, Not Connecticut

"If I ever run for anything, the thing I would like to be is governor of New York". That's what actor Alec Baldwin told the New York Times in an October 2006 interview. When asked if he was qualified to be governor, Baldwin answered: "That's what I hate about Arnold Schwarzenegger. His only credentials are that he ran a fitness program under some bygone president."

Baldwin, who stars as a right-wing studio boss on the NBC comedy "30 Rock," in real life is known for his liberal views, and has been talking about running for political office as a Democrat for years now. When he was asked in the 2006 interview if he would be interested in taking on Republican Schwarzenegger in California, he answered: "Then I would have to run in California. And who wants to live in California?"

Since 2006, Schwarzenegger's political career has taken a nosedive, along with California's economy. Baldwin, on the other hand, seems to think his political future is bright. He told Playboy magazine in an interview this month that he has been contacted by a group of lawyers in Ohio who want him to move to the Buckeye state and run for governor.

According to Baldwin in the Playboy interview, the law firm sent him a letter that said: "We want you to move to Ohio and run for governor. We will launch your career."

Baldwin, a regular contributor to the political web site Huffington Post, said that he is interested in running for office, but not in the Midwest. In fact, he doesn't seem to want to leave New York.

Playboy magazine asked him if he could live in Ohio. "I have sometimes thought I could move to New Jersey or Connecticut and run. I'd love to run against Joe Lieberman. I have no use for him," Baldwin said of the Independent senator from Connecticut.

Baldwin went on to say, "But it's all fantasy. I'm a carry-me-out-in-a-box New Yorker. Here, anything can happen. Who thought Eliot Spitzer would go down the way he did? Senator Hillary Clinton left to serve as secretary of state. Two of the biggest forces gone. Maybe Andrew Cuomo will run for one of their old seats. How much longer will Chuck Schumer stay as senator? After 2013 Bloomberg will be gone. What happens then?"

The comments referring to Lieberman have gotten most of the press today, but if you analyze Baldwin's comments, it seems that New York is where he really wants to be. His 2006 interview with the New York Times may have been a prelude for his actual plans. At that time, when asked what his ideal office would be, he made it clear: governor of New York.

The 2010 New York gubernatorial election is up for grabs. But Baldwin is under contract until 2012 with his popular NBC comedy. After that, it's anybody's guess.

The Alec Baldwin versus Joe Lieberman stories, however, have no merit. The "carry-me-out-in-a-box" New Yorker said so himself.