WASHINGTON—Federal Transit Administration Administrator and former U.S. Congressman Marc Molinaro announced on Mon., Feb. 23, that he has left the Trump Administration to run for the New York State Assembly this November.

Mr. Molinaro, who also served as Dutchess County Executive, took office in February 2025 as FTA Administrator. One year later, on Feb. 13, he announced on social media that he was leaving the post effective Feb. 20. Three days after that he announced on social media that he was running for the New York State Assembly’s 102nd District seat, being vacated by Republican Chris Tague, who announced in December 2025 his candidacy for the 51st Senate District seat. The 102nd District includes Otsego, Schoharie, Delaware and Sullivan counties along with parts of Chenango, Broome and Ulster counties.

In his social media announcement, Mr. Molinaro said that he helped President Trump and USDOT Secretary Sean Duffy “make our transportation system safer, more resilient, and prepared to meet the challenges of the future.”

Regarding his candidacy for the Assembly, he noted he was motivated “to fill the void of sensible leadership and give ordinary New Yorkers a voice in Albany on ‘Day One.’ I know how state government works. I know how to build coalitions. I know how to deliver results.”

A native of Yonkers, Molinaro was elected to the Village of Tivoli’s Board of Trustees at the age of 18. In 1995, he became the youngest mayor in the U.S. when he was elected mayor of Tivoli at age 19. He was reelected mayor five times, also serving in the Dutchess County Legislature. From 2007 to 2011, he represented the 103rd District in the New York State Assembly. He later served as Dutchess County Executive from 2012 to 2023. In 2018, he was the Republican nominee for governor of New York, losing to then-Democratic incumbent Andrew Cuomo.