Breaking Bad star Steven Michael Quezada runs for county commissioner seat in Albuquerque

Quezada played a DEA agent in the Albuquerque-based series

Steven Michael Quezada an actor on the series Breaking Bad, arrives at the 20th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles (AP)

A Breaking Bad actor who played a DEA agent living in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is now trying his hand at politics by running for a seat in the same city.

Steven Michael Quezada, who portrayed Hank Schrader’s side-kick Steven Gomez in the hit HBO series, was born in Albuquerque and is expected to formally announce his decision to run for county commissioner in Bernalillo County on Tuesday.

Quezada, 52, told the Associated Press he is hoping to have an impact in a district containing the Hispanic South Valley and where developers are looking to build new homes.

"I think I bring a new face to the Democratic Party,” he said. "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."

Quezada is already an elected member of the Albuquerque Public Schools board and, in another case of life-imitates-art, recently addressed a crime-fighting summit in the city.

Gomez and Hank spend their time hunting Albuquerque’s methamphetamine kingpin Walter White in all five series of Breaking Bad. Quezada also hosts his own late night show, The After After Party with Steven Michael Quezada.