'Law & Order: SVU' star running for Congress

Neal, who played Assistant District Attorney Casey Novak on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," has announced that she is making an independent run for New York's 19th Congressional District seat.

"Ok, so it's ON!!! But I'm doing with nearly no staff, no donations (yet), with no party," Neal tweeted Tuesday. "Website will be up later today (fingers crossed) and all ready to go."

Neal, 41, who also had roles in other hit shows including "NCIS" and "Suits," said her "goal is bigger than (political) parties."

"Goal is no negativity," she added. "Goal is HIGH ROAD all the way."

Neal told The Daily Freeman that she loves this country and that service is in her blood.

"The majority of my family, most are active service at the moment," she said. "Even my grandmother, who escaped the Holocaust, she came to New York, she joined the Navy. She was a bad a**, she was awesome."

As for her political beliefs, Neal told the publication it's a mix.

"I'm a little Libertarian, I'm a lot liberal, mostly progressive, but I have this amazing ability to be able to take really complicated policy and break it down into edible sound bites, which is something most progressive liberals cannot do," she said.