Albany Sheriff Craig Apple, who indicted Cuomo, is dropping state Senate bid

The Albany lawyer known for unsuccessfully pursuing charges against the disgraced ex-govertor. Andrew Cuomo drops plans to run for state senate.

“I hoped to be a voice for moderate voters who felt they needed a stronger voice in New York. However, after exploring this opportunity, I feel drawn back to the goal I’ve always set for myself and my kids, which is ‘Find a job you love and you won’t work a day in your life,'” Craig said Apple, Albany County Sheriff in a Facebook post Wednesday.

The national spotlight fell on Apple, a Democrat, last year as it pursued a misdemeanor case against Cuomo for allegedly groping former employee Brittany Commisso at the Executive Mansion in Albany in late 2020.

“I did my job. I did exactly what people chose me to do. I just couldn’t focus on it because of who that person was,” Apple told the Post May 19, before officially announcing his Senate nomination.

Cuomo denied the charges, which were later dropped, as well as other allegations of misconduct by multiple women accused of sexual misconduct and harassment.

“The cowboy sheriff goes to the pasture. I hate to see it,” Cuomo spokesman Richard Azzopardi said in a text.

Apple received some support from organized labor in its short-lived campaign to represent the state’s 43rd Senate district, which includes Rensselaer County and parts of Washington and Albany counties.

“My sincere apologies to the unions who have supported me, the committee members and volunteers who have been delivering petitions in the hot weather, as well as [Albany County Democratic] Chairman Jake Crawford, who tirelessly tried to get me to rethink how best to serve the fellowship. But this is the right decision for me,” Apple said in the Facebook post.

His exit from the race means Rensselaer Democrat Andrea Smythe, CEO and president of the New York State Coalition for Children’s Behavioral Health, can move to a general election matchup against GOP Rep. Jake Ashby (R-Castleton).

“As one of the nation’s most respected sheriffs, I believe Albany County residents are relieved that Sheriff Apple will remain in office. His remarkable record speaks for itself and I respect his decision to continue his excellent work,” Smyth said in a text.

According to its Facebook post, Apple will not endorse anyone in the race.