Gov. Andrew Cuomo told reporters this morning he is “elated” Sen. Stephen Saland, one of the four Republicans to back same-sex marriage last year, has narrowly won his Republican primary against Neil Di Carlo.

But when it came to Sen. Roy McDonald — who appears to have lost the GOP line to County Clerk Kathy Marchione — Cuomo was more circumspect.

“I am elated about Senator Saland’s victory and I am still concerned about Senator McDonald’s election,” the governor said on this morning’s conference call on the Tappan Zee Bridge announcement.

Cuomo said both lawmakers faced “extremists in their own party” because of their votes.

Cuomo successfully pushed through the legalization of same-sex marriage after McDonald and Saland, along with Sens. Mark Grisanti and James Alesi voted in favor of the measure. Alesi is retiring and Grisanti won his primary easily.

Saland was instrumental in crafting the bill’s religious protection clause.

Cuomo had said last week he was concerned that Saland and McDonald faced difficulty in keeping the line, adding that he “hopes they win re-election.”

It was not a full-fledged, formal endorsement, though official backing from a popular govrnor with a 70 percent approval rating would be key for an embattled incumbent in a moderate Senate district.

Cuomo has not ruled out endorsing Republicans this fall. McDonald’s team, who has not conceded the race to Marchione yet, released a statement yesterday evening saying he would make an announcement about the campaign moving forward either later this week or early next week.

McDonald would have the Independence Party line in November.

Regardless of McDonald not conceding, Marchione has a news conference scheduled for this afternoon.

Saland, meanwhile, still faces Di Carlo, who won the Conservative Party line through a write-in campaign, in the general election. It’s a thre-way race between Saland, Di Carlo and Democrat Terry Gipson.

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