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Scarlett Johansson For Mayor? Only in the Movies, Starlet Says

By Jill Colvin | April 6, 2012 10:49am
Scarlett Johansson laughs with Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer.
Scarlett Johansson laughs with Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer.
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DNAinfo/Jill Colvin

CHELSEA — Could it be ScarJo in 2013?

Scarlett Johansson helped draw hundreds of people to a swanky fundraiser for Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer’s mayoral campaign Thursday night, but it looks like all that stumping may be inspiring her to jump into the race as well.

"Scott and I joked how funny it would be if I decided to run for mayor in 2013 and I just utilized all of this," the Hollywood starlet panned, gesturing to her famous, flawless face in front of a packed room of supporters at Chelsea’s Maritime Hotel.

“It’s not a bad idea,” said the "Lost in Translation" star and longtime Stringer fan. “It’s a good idea for a movie, actually.”

But Stringer, who continues to play the of-course-I’m-running-for-mayor-but–you-can’t-call-me-a-candidate game, assured that the starlet isn’t planning on leaving the silver screen anytime soon.

Scarlett Johansson praised Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer's vision for the city.
Scarlett Johansson praised Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer's vision for the city.
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DNAinfo/Jill Colvin

“I am so glad that Scarlett Johansson assured me before we walked in: She will not be a candidate in 2013,” he said to ‘Aw!’s from the crowd.

Johansson, who wore a black blazer and simple button-down shirt, kicked off the event by praising Stringer as someone who is ready “to fight tirelessly to ensure a better New York for all New Yorkers.”

“We should ask ourselves: Does it matter that we, our friends, our families, can afford to live in the city we call home? Afford to be able to call home a city that has felt most recently unattainable to the very core communities that make up its diverse melting pot?" she asked. "I do! I care!"

She also called for better school art programs, expanded bike lanes, more access to local farming and more assistance for senior citizens, as well as greater participation in local races.

“Let's work together to make local politics something that all of us 'too cool for school' New Yorkers simply cannot ignore,” she said, before introducing Stringer as someone who “has proven that local politics can be topical and hip.”

Stringer, whose fundraiser coincided with a major event for the presumptive mayoral frontrunner, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, at the Boom Boom Room, said his campaign was well on its way to reaching its funding goals.

Many in the crowd said they were impressed to see Johansson, whose twin brother, Hunter, was once a staffer in the borough president’s office and whose grandmother worked with him in the 1980s to expand Mitchell-Lama housing.

“It brings in people who aren’t political junkies,” said Jamie Ansorage, 25, a law student and longtime Stringer supporter who lives in Brooklyn Heights. “She brings in people from other parts of the world to see why she’s interested… Hopefully it will bring in new energy,” he said.

Heather Verran, 50, who lives in Gramercy, said she, too, was impressed to see Johansson giving her time and energy to the campaign.

“It’s always nice to have an actor that is becoming more interested in the school system," said Verran, whose fifth-grade daughter attends P.S. 40. “She seems down-to-earth.”

Supporters paid anywhere from $50 to $2,500 to attend the fundraiser.

Stringer faces a crowded Democratic field, including Quinn, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, embattled City Comptroller John Liu and former Comptroller Bill Thompson.