Washington (CNN) New York gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon in a speech on Friday energized a room full of progressive candidates running for office, calling on them to "take our government back" from Republicans and "corporate Democrats."

"This year, thousands of us progressives all over America are running for office for the first time because we're realizing that if we want things to change we'll need to step up and do it ourselves," the "Sex and the City" star told a room full of hundreds of progressive candidates at a training event in Washington DC on Friday.

"This year, each of us has to do whatever we can to take our government back. If we want change we have to do what we have always done we have to go out ourselves and we have to seize it."

Excited to be speaking to progressives running for office at the #PCCCTraining with @BoldProgressive and @OurRevolution! pic.twitter.com/xoKzjfaMkj — Cynthia Nixon (@CynthiaNixon) April 13, 2018

Nixon and Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison were keynote speakers at the event, hosted by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and Our Revolution.

The room gave Nixon a standing ovation when she took the stage. Though her attendance at the event was informally announced on Twitter, she was not on the printed schedule, so some in the room were surprised by her arrival.