Cynthia Nixon could be running for the Assembly in November if she loses the Democratic primary for governor in September under a plan hatched by the Working Families Party, The Post has learned.
Under New York’s convoluted election laws, there are only a few ways a candidate can be removed from the ballot — and one of them is to run for another office.
So the Working Families Party, which designated Nixon as its candidate for governor in November’s general election, has provided an escape route in case she loses September’s Democratic primary because the party doesn’t want to be accused of being a “spoiler” by drawing votes from Gov. Andrew Cuomo in his race against Republican Marc Molinaro.
The WFP is running attorney Douglass Seidman as a “placeholder” candidate against 14-term Democratic incumbent Deborah Glick in the 66th Assembly District that takes in Greenwich Village and lower Manhattan, sources said.
If Nixon loses the Democratic primary, the WFP would run Seidman for a judgeship and then replace him with Nixon — who happens to live in the Assembly district.
That could be a big problem for Glick.
Even if Nixon doesn’t actively campaign for the Assembly seat, the popular “Sex and the City” actress could draw enough votes to unseat Glick, sources said.
Glick and Seidman didn’t return calls for comment.
But WFP state Director Bill Lipton confirmed the backup plan if things don’t go Nixon’s way.
“Cynthia is winning this primary. She has all the momentum and that was before yet another round of Cuomo aides were convicted,” Lipton said.
“But it’s just the responsible thing to do to have the option open in the unlikely event Cynthia wants it later. The real question is whether Cuomo is planning to get off the pro-Republican Independence line and phony WEP [Women’s Equality Party line] when he loses the primary,” he added.
Lipton in April said the party wouldn’t take a chance of helping elect a Republican by having Nixon and Cuomo split votes on the left, boosting the chances of Molinaro.
“In 20 years the WFP has never played a spoiler role. It’s not in our DNA,” Lipton said.
He said party leaders would meet with Nixon and “make a decision that puts the interests of working families first” if she loses the Democratic primary.
The party needs 50,000 votes in the governor’s race to keep its ballot status in future statewide races.
The Nixon campaign issued a statement saying that she “plans to win the primary and run as the Democratic nominee for governor.”
Lipton has tried — without success — to remove Queens Rep. Joe Crowley from its ballot line in November after he lost the Democratic primary in June to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Crowley pointed out that the only way to do that was to move, be convicted of a crime, die or run for another office.
“I don’t plan on moving out of New York, have a clean record, hope God’s will is that I don’t die, and won’t commit what I honestly believe to be election fraud,” he said.
Of course, Nixon and the WFP activists could also decide to keep her name on the line to run a vigorous campaign in the general election.
On Saturday, the Nixon campaign stressed she’s a supporter of Assemblywoman Glick.
“Cynthia has no intention whatsoever, under any circumstances, of running against Glick and will in fact campaign for her,” said Nixon spokeswoman Lauren Hitt.