ALBANY — As Gov. Andrew Cuomo and President Donald Trump feuded this week, the governor's Democratic primary challenger, Cynthia Nixon, took a swipe at both men Thursday, calling them as pair of entitled alpha males who were handed their positions by their fathers.

The actress and activist was addressing comparisons between herself and the president — both celebrities who lack extensive political experience — during an hour-long meeting with the Times Union editorial board, arguing that Trump and Cuomo share many similarities with each other.

"Here are a couple of alpha males who have turned a blind eye to sexual harassment and worse in their own administrations. Here are a couple of guys who have been handed their businesses by their dads, who were born on third base but think they've hit a home run," Nixon said, noting that both are now seeing their top aides go to jail and have a contentious relationship with the press.

Unlike Trump, a businessman who has used his position to build his brand and enrich others in his tax bracket, the Sex and the City actress said she has used her celebrity for activism, fighting for marriage equality and equitable distribution of school aid.

About Cuomo, who has not yet accepted the Times Union's invitation for an editorial board meeting, Nixon said he has been "governing like a Republican."

Nixon has often sought to tie the governor to Trump releasing video ads splicing together clips of the two Queens-bred politicians.

The governor has largely ignored his opponent, instead grabbing headlines by suing the president, writing him open letters and attacking him on Twitter.

Nixon notes that her candidacy has been credited with pushing Cuomo in a more progressive direction on medical marijuana and criminal justice reform and pressuring him to reunite the splintered Democratic conference in the state Senate. She did give him credit for getting the marriage equality law passed, but she also lauded activists' grassroots effort to vote out senators who opposed the legislation.

Nixon dismissed the notion that her platform was too left-of-center to be accepted by New York's Democratic electorate, observing that primary voters skew progressive and "well-informed."

She pointed to the surprising win by Democratic Socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez over a veteran U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley in Queens as a sign that voters are looking for change.

"The victory of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has shown that there is a huge appetite for the Democratic Party to come back to its values," Nixon said. "People are really looking for a Democratic Party that gives people something to show up for."

Nixon discussed her economic development platform, which centers on investment in infrastructure and the growing "caring economy." She charged that the governor's Regional Economic Development Programs favored well-connected businesses and lacked oversight.

When asked how she would aid struggling Southern Tier towns as governor, Nixon talked about supporting community activists and creative solutions like she's seen in Utica, which has become a paradigm for cities where refugees can help resuscitate a flailing economy.

"If you have a city where your population is really dwindling, you can throw open your gates to people who are refugees," Nixon said. "They seem to mesh really nicely with the people who are already there. I think that's an incredible approach."

Nixon is critical of Cuomo's tax incentives for businesses and wants to see more investment in women- and minority-owned businesses.

She approves of state-funded tax incentives for the film industry, which cost taxpayers $420 million each year, and is the largest film tax credit in the nation, but said she would like to see greater transparency in how the funds are spent and increased diversity among beneficiaries.

"I've been acting for 40 years since I was 12 ... and I am keenly aware of what production was like before the tax credit and after the tax credit," she said. "It is vitally important. It made a sea change in production."

Two "Sex and the City" movies made in New York City benefited from a combined $13.6 million in film-tax credits.

State officials say the program has fueled $17 billion in economic activity and created more than 1 million jobs since 2011, while detractors say those numbers are overblown and that New York City will always be a draw for movie makers, regardless of tax incentives.

Nixon acknowledged there are projects where the millions of dollars in tax refunds cannot be justified, citing "Saturday Night Live" as an example.

"Was Saturday Night Live going to go away? Did that create $46 million worth of jobs? What's that about? Maybe if we studied it I could understand better why we felt that money was appropriate to spend but at the moment I don't see it," Nixon said.

Nixon fielded questions about her controversial proposal to amend the Taylor Law, which prohibits public sector workers from striking and triggers severe penalties if they do. Despite criticisms that amending the law would cause chaos, Nixon defended her proposal. Even though most major unions are backing Cuomo, she vowed to be a friend to labor.

"People strike when they are aggrieved," she said.