HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo challenged New York Democrats to lead the way for the party nationwide, as he accepted their nomination for a third term.

Cuomo chose to focus on President Donald Trump over education advocate and actress Cynthia Nixon, his September primary opponent, or Marc Molinaro, the Dutchess County Executive who the Republicans nominated to run against him.

Cuomo instead zeroed in on November's general election, knocking the president and Republicans in Washington for gun, tax and immigration policies.

Cuomo also took the GOP in New York to task for virtually eliminating moderate “Rockefeller Republicans” from their ranks.

“Today the Albany Republicans all carry the Trump doctrine. They all drank the Ryan-McConnell-Trump Kool Aid,” Cuomo said.”Their vision is to take us back to their great, old American days when America was great.”

While calling November's mid-terms the most "consequential election in our lifetime," Cuomo also urged Democrats to examine why the party fared so poorly less than two years against Trump.

“The hard truth is that in the last presidential election, Donald Trump and the right wing did not win, it’s that Democratic Party lost that election because we lost the connection with who we are,” Cuomo said.

“New York always led the way, Al Smith, FDR, when there were troubled times, people looked to New York to find a way forward, and we’re going to fulfill that legacy again.”