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ALBANY – He wants to come home.
Marc Molinaro is attempting a New York political comeback — running for the state Assembly following a stint in the Trump administration.
The former New York congressman and Dutchess County executive said Monday he had officially stepped down from his post as director of the Federal Transit Administration, which he’d served in since August.
“To some, leaving a federal leadership role to serve in a state legislature may look like a step backward. I understand that perception. Public service is often measured by titles or proximity to power – and distant from the people,” Molinaro wrote in a Substack post announcing his decision.
“I take issue with that,” he wrote.
“Public service is about standing closer — closer to families, closer to communities, and closer to the challenges that shape daily life.”
Ex-Rep. Marc Molinaro is leaving the Trump administration to run for state Assembly. CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty ImagesMolinaro said he would run in November for the 102nd Assembly District seat occupied by fellow Republican Chris Tague, who will be vying for the state Senate.
His potential return to his old stomping grounds, first reported by Politico, had been widely rumored to be in the works since last week.
“To some, leaving a federal leadership role to serve in a state legislature may look like a step backward. I understand that perception,” Molinaro wrote on Substack.
“Public service is about standing closer,” he wrote, “closer to families, closer to communities, and closer to the challenges that shape daily life.”
Molinaro, 50, has served in some form of public office for almost his entire adult life. He was the Dutchess County executive for about a decade and held an upstate Assembly seat until 2011.
Molinaro ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2018, and then went on to serve one term in the House of Representatives, for New York’s 19th Congressional District.
He lost re-election in 2024 to Democrat Rep. Josh Riley after one term in one of the most competitive and expensive races in the country.
Molinaro is running for an upstate Assembly district after serving for a year as Federal Transit Administrator. Richard Harbus for NY PostMolinaro is the last to sit in a game of political musical chairs around the 102nd Assembly District – a reliably Republican seat.
“Call it what you wish. For me, this is a comeback – rooted in a simple truth: the future of New York will be decided by those willing to fight for the families and communities counting on us,” Molinaro wrote.
Tague (R-Schoharie) currently reps the district, but is running for the 51st state Senate seat being vacated by state Sen. Peter Oberacker (R-Sullivan) who is running for Molinaro’s old congressional seat against Riley.
“I can’t imagine many candidates with a more impressive record than Marc Molinaro,” Assembly Minority Leader Ed Ra (R-Nassau) wrote in a statement.
“He’s deeply connected to the families, the communities, and the issues in the 102nd District. If you know Marc, you know what public service means to him,” Ra said. “It’s a homecoming a lot of people are excited about.”
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