Sex And The City actress Cynthia Nixon has announced that she is running for governor of New York.

The star – who played Miranda Hobbes in the hit New York-set show – posted a message on Twitter announcing her run.

Nixon, 51, told her 28,000 followers on the site: “I love New York, and today I’m announcing my candidacy for governor.”

The mother-of-three also shared a brief video in which she talked about growing up in New York.

“I was given chances I just don’t see for most of New York’s kids today,” she said.

“Our leaders are letting us down.

“We are now the most unequal state in the entire country, with both incredible wealth and extreme poverty. Half the kids in our upstate cities live below the poverty line.

“How did we let this happen?”

She continued: “I love New York. I’ve never wanted to live anywhere else.

“But something has to change. We want our government to work again.”

Nixon highlighted tackling healthcare, the broken subway and an end to mass incarceration.

She will be challenging governor Andrew Cuomo in New York’s Democratic primary in September.