Steven Michael Quezada, an actor on the series “Breaking Bad,†arrives at the 20th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles in 2014. (Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)
For actor and comedian Steven Michael Quezada, better known as DEA agent Steve Gomez on AMC’s “Breaking Bad,†his onscreen personality isn’t so different from his real one.
“Gomie†is Hank’s virtuous sidekick â€" a Latino cop in Albuquerque, N.M. In real life, Quezada, 52, a native Albuquerquean, said he wants to improve his community. On Tues day, he is set to announce his bid for county commissioner in Albuquerque â€" the setting for the dark drama that gave him worldwide fame, he first told the Associated Press.
Quezada is running against at least three other candidates in the 2016 election for the commission seat in state’s most populous county, Bernalillo County. Education and  urban sprawl are priorities for Quezada, who is a Democrat, the Associated Press reported.
“I was born and raised here in the district,†he told The Washington Post. “I’m trying to help the kids in the neighborhood where I grew up, to give them a better life.â€
Quezada said he grew up poor with four siblings. His father was a war veteran. His mother worked in health care.
“We didn’t cross the border; the border crossed us,†he said. “We love it. We love our community. We love New Mexico.â€
He never graduated from college. He never claimed to be a politician. But in 2013, he grabbe d a seat on Albuquerque’s school board to represent the community he came from.
“People say I’m just doing this for the publicity,†he told the Albuquerque Journal at the time. “I don’t need publicity. I’m on the No. 1 TV show in the world. The last thing I need is publicity.†But “if I can bring some national exposure and some national attention to our struggles here in New Mexico, then that’s a good thing,†he added.
Now two years later, Quezada said he’s ready for the next step.
He said he wants to dive into education, looking at overpopulation in schools and early intervention for children who are exposed to drugs and gangs. He wants to revitalize neighborhoods, expand infrastructure and add jobs. And he wants to address the crime rate in Albuquerque, which was more than twice the national rate in 2013, according to estimates from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Some 15 years ago, Quezada too ran into trouble. He h as been arrested on DWI charges several times, he told the Albuquerque Journal in 2013.
“I changed my life,†he told the newspaper at the time. “The laws in New Mexico have helped me, but I think the laws should include treatment.â€
Quezada said he is particularly determined to reach young Latino voters and get them involved in the democratic process. New Mexico has the highest percentage of Hispanic residents in the country, according to the Associated Press. “I want to inspire them,†he said.
Quezada said he realizes that “Breaking Bad†gave him a name and that he is fortunate to have had the opportunity to provide a positive portrayal of a Latino.
“‘Breaking Bad’ told a story about what happens â€" not only in this community but also in communities across the country,†he told The Post. “People try to find a way to make a living and many of them make bad decisions. I think ‘Breaking Bad’ did a good job showing what that gets you: It destroys everyone involved.
“There is a part of Gomez in me â€" wanting to do things the right way. That’s what’s going to be important to me when I’m gone â€" not what I did in ‘Breaking Bad’ but the legacy I leave behind.â€
This image released by AMC shows Hank Schrader, played by Dean Norris, foreground, and Steven Gomez, played by Steven Michael Quezada  in episode from season five of “Breaking Bad.†(AP Photo/AMC, Ursula Coyote)
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