Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple, who unsuccessfully pursued a groping case against disgraced ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo earlier this year, is now running for state Senate. 

“I’m a law-and-order guy. I obviously am not happy about bail reform, but there are other things like high taxes, inflation and relief for small businesses,” Apple, a native of the Capital Region, told The Post Thursday.

The longtime lawman is running in the June 28 primary as a Democrat for the newly redrawn 43rd state Senate district that includes Rensselaer County – where Apple has a second home – as well as parts of Washington and Albany counties.

He also has a house in the town of Colonie, a suburb of Albany and his wife owns and operates a small business, Kurver Kreme, in Albany.

Apple, who was elected to his current post in 2011, could benefit from the public attention he received while pursuing a misdemeanor case against Cuomo, on behalf of state worker Brittany Commisso.

Commisso alleged the ex-pol grabbed her left breast during the work day in the governor’s mansion on Dec. 7, 2020 – one among a litany of accusations of sexual misconduct from multiple woman that led to Cuomo’s resignation last year.  

But Albany City Judge Holly Trexler dismissed the misdemeanor charge of forcible touching against Cuomo in January, after Albany County District Attorney David Soares announced that he would not prosecute Cuomo. 

Apple told The Post Friday: “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. I can put my head on my pillow every night and I’m not going to let those people distract me or deter me.” 

Cuomo has denied the groping allegations, as well as other claims of sexual misconduct brought by former staffers. 

He plans to formally announce his candidacy, first reported by the Times Union Wednesday, this weekend once the new district maps are finalized, and his campaign is in the process of setting up a new account with the state Board of Elections.

“Pro – #CowboySheriff will no longer be able to abuse his law enforcement role for political gain. Con – you want THIS GUY writing laws?” Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi tweeted Wednesday.

Rensselaer Democrat Andrea Smyth, CEO and president of the New York State Coalition for Children’s Behavioral Health, told the Post she has already received the backing of her county party in the Democratic primary for state Senate. 

“The recent announcement by the sheriff to enter the race because of the redrawn district district Lines doesn’t discourage me,” Smyth, who narrowly lost a 2017 election for county executive, told the Post.

It remains unclear whether other Democrats will jump into the primary following the release earlier this week of new legislative lines by court-appointed special master Jonathan Cervas.

Assemblyman Jake Ashby (R-Castleton) has announced his own campaign to be the GOP candidate for the November election for the seat, which could determine whether Democrats hold their supermajority in the state Senate.