Actress Fran Drescher has expressed interest in being appointed to the U.S. Senate seat that New York's Hillary Clinton is giving up to become secretary of state, a spokesman for the actress said.
No, seriously.
"Fran Drescher, actress, women's health advocate and public diplomacy envoy for the U.S. State Department, announced that she is throwing her hat into the ring of contenders for the senate seat being vacated by Secretary of State-designate Hillary Rodham Clinton," Drescher spokesman Jordan Brown told CNN in a written statement late Monday.
Drescher, 51, is best known for her starring role in the 1990s television comedy "The Nanny" and an adenoidal voice that could strip the rust off an engine block — a talent that might come in handy during a Senate filibuster. But since a bout with uterine cancer, she has become an activist for better health care for women and was named a State Department public envoy on the issue in September. Drescher recently toured Eastern European countries to raise awareness of the issue on behalf of the State Department.
New York Gov. David Paterson will appoint a successor for Clinton, who still must be confirmed by her Senate colleagues for the Cabinet post. That successor would face voters in a special election in 2010. A spokesman for Patterson did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday morning.
Speculation over Paterson's choice reached a frenzy over the weekend after reports that Caroline Kennedy, daughter of assassinated President John F. Kennedy, had phoned to discuss the position. Paterson said Monday that Kennedy had called him and "asked a few questions," but dismissed other reports as "gossip." "And frankly, this is a serious issue which I think is starting to be
treated as some sort of reality TV show," he added.
A senior adviser to Clinton, Philippe Reines, said she would not comment on her possible successors. "This is entirely Governor Patterson's decision and we're respecting the privacy of his process," Reines said.
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Queens native, Fran “the Nanny” Drescher has her eye on Hillary Clinton’s soon-to-be-vacant Senate seat!
The former TV star tells NY Magazine why she is a qualified candidate:
“I’ve just been given the appointment of U.S. diplomat,” says the Nanny. “My title is public diplomacy envoy for women’s health issues, and I just got back from a four-country European tour of duty. I believe next I’ll be sent to the Middle East.”
The cancer survivor and activist has helped to get some important health issues to the forefront.
“I’ve been very successful in getting a bill passed in Washington,” she says. “I was thinking I’d take the next four years to lay some groundwork, but I’m throwing my hat in the ring.”
But, most importantly, Frannie says, “I’m an authentic and honest person. And I think Capitol Hill needs more of that.”
Fran isn’t the only high profile female perhaps interested in filling the Senate seat. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., said recently that Caroline Kennedy was interested in the Senate seat that would become open if Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is confirmed as President-elect Barack Obama’s next secretary of state. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave a boost to Caroline as a possible Senate candidate, saying she is experienced and “can do anything.” Her cousin, If that happens, New York Gov. David Paterson would appoint someone to the seat for a two-year period, after which they would have to run for election, and then for a full term in 2012.
While the two women are easily the most famous contender for Clinton’s Senate seat, there are plenty of others. New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is widely known in the state. Paterson could also pick Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown or Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi.
Fran Drescher is looking to take her famous Queens accent to a new home – the U.S. Senate, that is. Fran Drescher tells PEOPLE she's offering up her name as a replacement for Senator Hillary Clinton, who has been nominated as Secretary of State. New York Gov. David Paterson must find an interim to fill the remaining two years of Clinton's term.
"I'm a New Yorker. It's a part of the fabric of my being," says Drescher, 51. "It just seems natural to me to throw my hat in the ring." The ex-star of The Nanny isn't a political neophyte. In September, she was appointed a U.S. diplomat for health issues, and in that role recently toured four Eastern European countries.
A uterine cancer survivor, Drescher also has advocated cancer prevention and education through her Cancer Schmancer Movement, (named after her bestselling book).
While on the lecture circuit, Drescher says her fans constantly inquired about a future in politics. "It was one of the single most-asked questions: When are you going to run? Only second to: Is that your real voice?" Drescher says with a laugh.
Others who are rumored to be interested in the Senate post are Caroline Kennedy and Andrew Cuomo. So why should Fran Drescher be Paterson's top pick? "I would hope that he'd take into consideration that I'm a beloved New Yorker who gets the New York constituents probably as good, if not better, than any of the other people being considered," says Drescher, whose focus would be education and healthcare if tapped to fill the seat. Besides, Drescher says, "I never tried to lose my accent."
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