STATE COMPTROLLER CANDIDATE DREW WARSHAW RAISES MORE THAN $1 MILLION IN FIRST TWO MONTHS OF CAMPAIGN

NEW YORK MINUTE: President Donald Trump endorsed Rep. Mike Lawler … to stay put.

Trump put his thumb on the scale in the shadow GOP gubernatorial primary on Tuesday, writing in a post on Truth Social that “Mike has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-election” to the battleground House seat — more than a year early. (He also gave a nod to Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who’s re-election race is this year.)

The development is a boost for Rep. Elise Stefanik, a staunch Trump ally who, like Lawler, is considering a run for governor.

FIGHTING FOR COMPTROL: New York’s longest serving statewide elected official is drawing a first-ever Democratic primary challenge.

Drew Warshaw, an affordable housing nonprofit executive, will launch his campaign today to take on Comptroller Tom DiNapoli — an avuncular figure within New York’s political class who has held the office since 2007 and will be tough to beat. His campaign has more than $560,000 in cash on hand.

Warshaw believes the comptroller is coasting.

“Michael Jordan only played 15 years in the NBA,” Warshaw told Playbook this week. “We’re not re-electing Michael Jordan.”

DiNapoli’s re-election campaign declined to comment.

The challenger’s campaign is embryonic. He released a video shot at locales around New York, including the iconic Wall Street charging bull statue.

Warshaw is just starting to travel the state to meet with potential supporters and donors. He lacks a statewide profile and the interview with Playbook wasn’t staffed.

The 44-year-old does have a vision for the low-profile office, which has audit power and is the sole trustee of the $273 billion state pension fund.

“We’re in a raging affordability crisis,” he said. “This is a position, probably the most powerful position in government, that can actually do something about these challenges. We need to flex the power of that office in a way that hasn’t been done before.”

He wants to leverage the pension fund to fix the state’s housing shortage and build more units.

“This is circling billions of dollars and saying, ‘We are open for business for you to build and preserve as many affordable homes as you can in New York,’” he said.

Warshaw is positioning himself as an outsider.

He’s worked for a renewable energy company and was a top aide at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey during the World Trade Center rebuilding. He started his government career as an aide to former Gov. Eliot Spitzer (Back in 2007 Spitzer opposed DiNapoli’s appointment to the post, but was overruled by the state Legislature.)

Warshaw wants to take a “loud role” in overseeing state spending.

“I will be a voice you can hear on behalf of all New Yorkers and a voice that’s independent,” he said, and plans to focus auditors on key areas of state spending.

Defeating DiNapoli is a tall order: He has deep support from influential labor unions and 18 years of dry financial oversight has given him a non-partisan sheen. He sends birthday texts and is considered a genuinely nice guy — a rare trait in a tough business.

DiNapoli ascended to the job after the scandal-induced resignation of Democrat Alan Hevesi. He faced a serious challenge when running outright in 2010 against Republican investor Harry Wilson.

Since that scare, his Republican challengers have been easily dispatched every four years and he won his last election by 15 points.

But anti-incumbent sentiment is in the air. Polls have shown the best-known statewide elected officials — including Gov. Kathy Hochul and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer — have popularity problems.

To be successful, Warshaw will need to harness antipathy toward incumbents.

“I don’t think nice has anything to do with managing your money,” he said. “I’m nice; I’m also very effective.” — Nick Reisman