• Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, Republican candidate for governor, and Julie Killian, his running mate for lieutenant governor, acknowledge delegates' applause at the New York state Republican Convention, in New York, Wednesday, May 23, 2018. Delegates endorsed the 42-year-old Molinaro Wednesday at the GOP's state convention in Manhattan. He had faced a challenge for the nomination from state Sen. John DeFrancisco of Syracuse. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) Photo: Richard Drew / AP
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Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, Republican candidate for governor, and Julie Killian, his running mate for lieutenant governor, acknowledge delegates' applause at the New York state Republican Convention, in New York, Wednesday, May 23, 2018. Delegates endorsed the 42-year-old Molinaro Wednesday at the GOP's state convention in Manhattan. He had faced a challenge for the nomination from state Sen. John DeFrancisco of Syracuse. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) less
Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, Republican candidate for governor, and Julie Killian, his running mate for lieutenant governor, acknowledge delegates' applause at the New York state Republican ... more
Photo: Richard Drew
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Marc Molinaro announced his intention to run against Andrew Cuomo for the Governor of New York State in a press conference at the Hilton Hotel on Monday, April 2, 2018, in Albany, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union) less
Marc Molinaro announced his intention to run against Andrew Cuomo for the Governor of New York State in a press conference at the Hilton Hotel on Monday, April 2, 2018, in Albany, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times ... more
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New York

Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro won the Republican nomination for New York governor on Wednesday, promising that if elected he would take on corruption and entrenched special interests while working for "everyday New Yorkers" of every political affiliation.

The 42-year-old Molinaro is a former state lawmaker whose political career began at age 19 when he was elected mayor of the Hudson Valley community of Tivoli. Delegates to the state Republican convention nominated him on the first day of the two-day gathering in a Manhattan ballroom.

"I don't come from wealth or fame. I wasn't born into a political dynasty. I'm no film or television star. I'm just an everyday New Yorker with a calling and some hard-earned know-how," Molinaro told delegates in his acceptance speech. "I have no interest in ideology for ideology sake. That doesn't solve problems, people do."

Molinaro's comments targeted two potential rivals in November: two-term Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat and son of the late Gov. Mario Cuomo, and "Sex and the City" star and political activist Cynthia Nixon, who is challenging Cuomo in the September primary.

Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans in New York by more than 2-1, meaning Molinaro will have to appeal to voters from outside his party if he hopes to prevail. Republicans haven't held a statewide office in New York since former Gov. George Pataki left office in 2006.

Pataki addressed the convention shortly before Molinaro accepted the nomination. He called Albany the nation's most corrupt capital city and dismissed talk about Molinaro's uphill challenge, noting that he was also considered a longshot when he defeated the elder Cuomo in 1994.

Molinaro, who is married and has three children, initially announced he would not run for governor but changed his mind. He quickly emerged as the GOP front runner.