Voters often know little about the state comptroller, but Paul Rodriguez is working to make sure they know his name.

Rodriguez, the Republican and Conservative candidate campaigning to be the state's next financial watchdog, is running to unseat Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. DiNapoli, a Democrat, is the state's longest-serving elected official and is seeking a fourth term.

​Rodriguez said he's the right choice to reverse the recent trend of top state officials, like former Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin or former Gov. David Paterson, resigning in scandal.

"You need a comptroller who is very inquisitive to really ask the tough questions," Rodriguez said during an exclusive interview with Capital Tonight. "To really dig down into the numbers and look at potential contracts, conflicts of interest and to read in between the lines and sort of shine a light on it."

More executive oversight is needed, he says, amid recent multi-million-dollar state contracts awarded to donors of Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Born in Queens and raised in Puerto Rico, Rodriguez returned to New York after college and worked as a financial advisor on Wall Street.

He's running on the Republican and Conservative ballot lines this midterm election where Republicans have an edge.

He wants to audit how to cut state spending and make New York more affordable to live in, citing recent population decline.

"It's really because I want to serve, and I want to help people," he said.

Rodriguez lost his bid as the Conservative nominee for New York City comptroller last year, and a 2004 bid for Congress.

He deeply criticizes DiNapoli for letting political beliefs about issues like criminal justice and climate change influence investments from the state's public pension fund.

"When you're dealing with other people's money, and it's a public pension plan where you're representing people, all ideologies and all walks of life, you shouldn't be injecting our personal politics into it," Rodriguez said. "...There's two offices in this state government that are supposed to be providing oversight and should be apolitical, and that's the comptroller and the attorney general."

Rodriguez and DiNapoli debated on Spectrum News 1 last week, voicing concerns about the new Penn Station and Buffalo Bills stadium projects, and asked for more federal support to help with the migrant crisis in New York City.

But Rodriguez has made reducing taxes and curbing further increases a focal point of his platform. He supports extending the temporary suspension of the state's 18-cent gas tax, which expires Dec. 31, into next year.

"I think it's high time that we get ahold of spending in the state and we don't keep burdening the taxpayers with more and more taxation," he said during the debate.

DiNapoli's campaign has criticized his opponent for his ties to Wall Street and say it will impact Rodriguez's ability to think about finances over the long-term. Rodriguez counters a short-term fiscal focus led to the current climate headed for a recession, adding his time on Wall Street improves his experience to be state comptroller.

"New York really needs a strong advocate for economic development and someone who has in his or her mind that we need to make the state more competitive for business and investment," Rodriguez said. "...We have onerous regulations for business and investment and rampant corruption ... So this is why I think we need a change in leadership."

A Republican has not been elected to serve as New York's comptroller in almost 30 years. The previous three comptrollers before DiNapoli were also registered Democrats.

Edward Regan was the last Republican in the position, which he held from 1979 to 1993.