ALBANY, N.Y. – Gov. Andrew Cuomo cruised to a win Thursday in the Democratic primary for New York governor, easily warding off a challenge from actor and activist Cynthia Nixon as she tried to position herself as a more-progressive alternative.

Cuomo, an incumbent in his second term, had 65 percent of the vote to Nixon's 35 percent with 85 percent of the districts reporting

The Associated Press called the race for Cuomo at around 9:30 p.m. EDT, a half-hour after polls closed.

Cuomo’s big victory allows him to continue his bid for a third term and sets up a November battle with Marc Molinaro, the Republican nominee for governor.

The race between Cuomo and Nixon, the actor and activist best known for her starring role in "Sex and the City," headlined New York's state and local primary elections, which were moved to Thursday to avoid conflicts with Rosh Hashanah and Sept. 11.

It was a clean sweep for Cuomo's ticket: His running-mate, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, also won in her primary fight against New York City Councilman Jumaane Williams, as did Letitia James, Cuomo's preferred pick for attorney general.

The governor did not attend the Democratic Party's primary celebration in Manhattan, instead choosing to watch the results come in privately with family and friends in Albany, according to his campaign.

Nor did he choose to issue a statement marking his victory, with his campaign simply tweeting out a photo of him, Hochul and James with a four-work message: "Thank you New York."

Nixon gave an impassioned concession speech, congratulating Cuomo but taking credit for pushing him to the left on supporting marijuana legalization and disbanding a group of rogue Senate Democrats who once partnered with the GOP.

"While the result tonight wasn’t what we had hoped for, I’m not discouraged," Nixon said. "I’m inspired and I hope you are, too, because before even a single vote was cast in this election, we had already won."

Cuomo ran on a record he says positions himself as a national progressive leader and a leading opponent of President Donald Trump, who Cuomo has taken to criticizing at campaign and government events across the state.

Through a series of television advertisements throughout the state, Cuomo touted his successful push for same-sex marriage in 2011 and subsequent efforts to raise the minimum wage and implement a paid-family-leave program.

Nixon, who trailed Cuomo by 41 percentage points in a poll released Monday by Siena College, challenged Cuomo from his left, pointing to the more moderate or fiscally conservative positions he’s held during his term in office.

The candidates cast their ballots Thursday morning – Nixon in her home borough of Manhattan; Cuomo in the Westchester County town of New Castle, where he lives.

"I believe that my administration has started a very important, positive and progressive agenda," Cuomo told reporters after casting his ballot.

"I want to continue doing it."

In an interview Thursday on public radio's "Capitol Pressroom," Nixon said her candidacy was part of a national progressive movement spurred in part by the rise of Trump.

"I think this is a movement to make sure that the Democratic Party is not just a kinder, gentler, more-diverse version of the Republican Party," Nixon said.

"People do not show up when we're not clear on who we are and what we fight for."

The Cuomo-Nixon race was one of three statewide, Democratic primary battles on the ballot Thursday, and it was a clean sweep for Cuomo's primary ticket.

James, the New York City public advocate, won a four-way race for attorney general, while Hochul was leading Williams by six percentage points with 85 percent of election districts reporting.

Both James and Hochul were endorsed by Cuomo. AP called the race for Hochul at 11 p.m.

Under New York election law, candidates for governor and lieutenant governor run in separate primaries with the winners joined together as a ticket in November.

Reports from throughout the state suggested voter turnout was far stronger than it was in 2014, when just 10 percent of enrolled Democrats turned out to vote in the primary between Cuomo and Zephyr Teachout.

In Monroe County, for example, turnout was at 22 percent as of 8 p.m., according to the county Board of Elections. In 2014, turnout was about 9 percent after all ballots were counted.

Cuomo left nothing to chance this year, when insurgent progressives have scored upsets in several races nationwide, including congressional primaries in New York City’s outer boroughs and in Massachusetts.

A prodigious campaign fundraiser, Cuomo’s campaign spent $21.4 million from mid-January through early September, blanketing the television airwaves with advertisements touting his record, including the passage of same-sex marriage, a higher minimum wage and tougher gun-control laws.

Nixon spent less than 10 percent of that, spending about $2 million over the same time period.

New York has a split primary system for federal and state elections, meaning contested congressional primaries were already decided in June.

As they cast their ballots in the morning, the candidates urged primary voters to get to the polls.

"We've been seeing in elections not a lot of people turning out, and that is just bad for democracy," Cuomo said.

"It only works if you come out and you participate."

Cuomo will now face Molinaro, the Dutchess County executive, in the fall along with at least three third-party candidates.

Nixon could also chose to continue running in the fall on the Working Families Party line if she so choose. The left-leaning party picked Nixon as its candidate earlier this year.

She wasn't willing to entertain the question Thursday morning.

"This is not a question for today," Nixon said during the radio interview.