If he was governor, 42-year-old Marc Molinaro would be the youngest in the country. And yet, his political career spans more than two decades, dating back to 1994.
"I was the kid. I was the kid mayor," Molinaro said in an interview with CBS's "48 Hours."
Molinaro was featured nationally after getting an early start in politics as mayor of Tivoli in Dutchess County.
"I was elected a village mayor at the age of 19," Molinaro said. "Best job in the world."
Now, he's gunning for a bigger job, hoping to unseat Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who he says has enabled a culture of corruption.
"It's obscene. The governor is in the pockets of powerful people," Molinaro said.
Molinaro will be formally nominated Wednesday as the Republican candidate for governor at the New York State Republican Party's Convention.
He's campaigning on a platform of rooting out Albany corruption, lowering taxes, and helping vulnerable populations, like those with disabilities and substance abuse.
But polls show he is virtually unknown. As county executive of Dutchess County, with a population of about 296,000, Molinaro has not had much of a political platform.
He's presenting himself as a problem-solver, downplaying party affiliation and dancing around questions about President Trump, even declining to say if he'd welcome his endorsement.
"Listen: Whatever other people do, they do," Molinaro said.
He said he wrote in former Republican Congressman Chris Gibson for president in 2016. But he always tries to steer the conversation back to Cuomo:
"I didn't vote for Donald Trump, and I'm not interested in running against or for president. This governor has spent every day of the last several months trying to run for president," Molinaro said. "I'm going to give him an out: He can decide to go run for president. Leave New Yorkers alone; we've had enough.”