Alec Baldwin hints at run for New York mayor

Alec Baldwin, the actor who these days is most associated with the comedy show 30 Rock, is speaking openly about seeking the keys to a new address – Gracie Mansion, the mayoral residence in New York City.

In an interview with the New York Times, Baldwin, pictured, a Democrat, voiced an interest in running for mayor – if not in 2013, when Michael Bloomberg's third term expires, then perhaps in 2017. He plans to enrol at university to learn about the workings of government.

If some would see obstacles in a big star presenting himself as a man of the people, he would disagree. "There are people who make a lot of money who become rich people, and then there are people who make a lot of money, but they don't think like rich people do," he told the paper. "No matter how much money they have, they are the same from their own upbringing. I would definitely put myself in the latter class."

The comic actor says he has been spurred in part by disappointment with Mr Bloomberg having overturned term-limit laws to ensure himself a third term in office. Baldwin also claims to have been beset by high-profile political fundraisers asking him to seek public office of some kind.