The Albany lawman known for unsuccessfully pursuing groping charges against disgraced ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo is dropping plans to run for the state Senate.

 “I hoped to be a voice for moderate voters who had felt they needed a stronger voice in New York. However after exploring this opportunity I’m drawn back to the goal I have always set for myself and my kids which is ‘find a job you love, and you will never work a day in your life,’” Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple said in a Facebook post Wednesday. 

The national limelight fell on Apple, a Democrat, last year when he pursued a misdemeanor case against Cuomo, who allegedly groped former staffer Brittany Commisso at the Executive Mansion in Albany in late 2020.

“I did my job. I did exactly what the people elected me to do. I couldn’t just turn my head to that because of who that person was,” Apple told the Post on May 19 before formally announcing his Senate candidacy.

Cuomo denied the charge, which was later dropped, as well as other accusations of wrongdoing from multiple women alleging sexual misconduct and harassment. 

“Cowboy sheriff goes to pasture. Hate to see it,” Cuomo spokesman Richard Azzopardi said in a text. 

Apple received some backing from organized labor in his short-lived campaign to represent the 43rd state Senate district that includes Rensselaer County as well as parts of Washington and Albany counties. 

“I deeply apologize to the unions who supported me, Committee members and volunteers who carried petitions in the hot weather, as well as [Albany County Democratic] Chairman Jake Crawford who tried tirelessly to have me reconsider how I can best serve the community. 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 pivot to a general election matchup against GOP Assemblyman Jake Ashby (R-Castleton). 

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

Apple will not endorse anyone in the race, according to his Facebook post.