'Breaking Bad' Actor Runs for Office: Steven Michael Quezada Albuquerque County Commissioner?

By Alexandra Svokos alexandra.svokos@mstarsnews.com | Jul 21, 2015 08:30 PM EDT

Breaking Bad's Steven Michael Quezada is running for office in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Quezada, who played Steve "Gomie" Gomez on the show, announced that he is throwing his hat in the ring to be county commissioner in the very city the hit show was set in.

This isn't Quezada's first attempt at breaking into politics. In 2013, he got onto the Albuquerque school board and, as an Albuquerque native, has been working to improve conditions for his community.

On Breaking Bad, Quezada played Gomie, a DEA agent who was partners on the force with Hank Schrader, the brother-in-law of the show's star Walter White, played by Bryan Cranston. Gomie's do-good personality apparently came from real life, where Quezada is dedicated to helping the city develop.

"There is a part of Gomez in me – wanting to do things the right way," Quezada said. "That's what's going to be important to me when I'm gone – not what I did in Breaking Bad but the legacy I leave behind."

In his campaign for county commissioner, Quezada aims to keep a focus on education. There's overpopulation in Albuquerque schools that Quezada wants to fix, and he also wants to put in early intervention for children exposed to drugs and gangs, according to the Washington Post. Quezada would like to create jobs in the city and address the high crime rate.

He is joining a heated race, which currently has at least three other people running. Quezada hopes that by running – and, hopefully, winning – he'll raise the profile for Mexican-American politicians and get young Latino voters interested and involved in politics.

"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," Quezada said.

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