'Breaking Bad' Actor Steven Michael Quezada Runs for Office in New Mexico

"Breaking Bad" actor Steven Michael Quezada is joining the race for county commissioner in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Quezada, who portrayed DEA agent Steven Gomez in AMC's popular series starring Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, said on Monday that a formal announcement will be issued on Tuesday indicating that he is running for the Bernalillo County Commission seat, Fox News reported.

The 52-year-old actor, a Democrat who is also a member of the Albuquerque school board, said that he is running for county commissioner in an effort to "make a difference in the district which includes the historic Hispanic South Valley and an area where developers are seeking to build new homes," the news outlet added. Three other hopefuls are gunning for the position as well.

"I think I bring a new face to the Democratic Party," said Quezada, as quoted by New York Post. "We need to reach out to our young people - the young Chicanos, the young Latinos - and get them involved in this process and let them know this is important."

Just recently, the Bernalillo County Commission voted in the approval of a planned community development. The move was met with a lot of protests at commissioners' meetings from South Valley farmers, who feared that the development would take the water supply away from nearby communities, New York Post noted.

Quezada voted against the project, saying that the plan came up short in needed schools at a time when the area is seeking school overcrowding. The nearly 22-square-mile development, known as Santolina, would equal some of the state's largest cities when it reaches its 50-year completion, "and it comes during a period of heightened concerns over water following years of severe drought," New York Post explained.

Quezada insists that the state party should put more of an effort to reach Latino voters, given that New Mexico has the highest percentage of Hispanic citizens in the country. Quezada's fellow Democrats requested his support and the actor has provided his voice in commercials, the news outlet added.

The SouthWest Organizing Project (SWOP), which also opposed Santolina, said that they are happy to hear that Quezada and others are jumping in the commissioner's race.

"We are seeing the consequences of irresponsible development," said Javier Benavidez, executive director of the SWOP, as quoted by New York Post. "We need leaders who are going to commit to responsible growth and not just recruit new Wal-Marts and chain restaurants."

Quezada is a life-long resident of Albuquerque and has studied theater at Eastern New Mexico University, Daily Mail wrote. He has worked as an actor in the past decade, with "Breaking Bad" serving as his first big break.