GOP’s Marcus Molinaro won’t run for governor after all

ALBANY -- Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro has ruled out a gubernatorial campaign.

Molinaro, a 42-year-old Republican, had been openly considering a run for the GOP nomination and, in fact, had created a campaign-finance committee. But he announced Thursday he won’t be in the race.

“While I believe that state government can be a servant of the people when run well and with integrity, it’s just not the right time for me to seek the governorship,” Molinaro said in a statement emailed to Republican county leaders around New York Thursday. He said he wanted to focus on raising his children and running on Dutchess County.

Molinaro, who represented a swath of the Hudson Valley in the State Assembly from 2007-11, had been touring the state, raising expectations he would run.

Currently, the GOP has two declared candidates: Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb (R-Canandaigua) and former Erie County Executive Joel Giambra. Sen. John DeFrancisco (R-Syracuse) has said he is considering running.

Molinaro is the second Republican who, after openly considering a campaign, announced this week he wouldn’t. Investment manager Harry Wilson, who some Republican leaders had hoped would run in part because of his ability to fund his own campaign, said earlier he has decided against it.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, 60, a Democrat, has said he intends to run for a third term.