BUFFALO, N.Y. — A day after former Governor Cuomo aide Joe Percoco was sentenced to six years in prison for accepting kickbacks connected to state economic development projects, Republican candidate Marc Molinaro stood in front of Buffalo's RiverBend facility, the project at the center of a parallel trial, and criticized the administration.

"We're here again today in Buffalo because yesterday afternoon the Andrew Cuomo administration was sent to jail. In this case, Joe Percoco, his top lieutenant, will be serving time," he said.

Molinaro said these cases show New York has become the nation's most corrupted state government. He pointed to the bid-rigging scandals, as well as more recent stories about the administration allegedly rushing the grand opening of the Mario Cuomo Bridge and a negative mailer the state Democratic Committee sent out just before the recent primary.

"What's the governor's response? Total ignorance. Total ignorance to pretend he had nothing to do with it," he said.

However, the Cuomo campaign is pointing the finger back at Molinaro. An ad this week referenced an architectural firm which donated money to the Dutchess County Executive's campaign and employed Molinaro's wife, receiving tax breaks and contracts.

"That's a total distraction put forth by the governor, instructing his henchmen to keep you and me focused on anything other than the fact that this governor's run a criminal enterprise and Joe Percoco's going to jail," Molinaro said.

State Democratic Committee Chairman Byron Brown is calling for the Joint Commission on Public Ethics to investigate, questioning whether Molinaro gave proper notification of conflicts and accusing him of being evasive during his Buffalo press conference.

"I can understand why Andrew Cuomo thinks people only get work through political connections. This is a man who was born on third base and is desperately trying to convince you he hit a triple," Molinaro said.

In a follow-up interview, the candidate clarified his wife worked for Tinkleman Architecture from summer 2015, before their wedding, until July of this year. Molinaro said she left her position with a minor league baseball team prior to taking the public relations and social media position which paid hourly for an annual salary of $27,000 per year.

"My wife is an exceptionally talented woman who has worked very hard from the day she entered the workforce in Virginia and frankly was more than qualified and did the work that was expected," he said.

Molinaro said Tinkelman secured two contracts worth $68,000 from the Department of Public Works in a competitive bidding process during his time as county executive.