Nassau Republicans appear to be abandoning the current county executive in favor of an alternate GOP candidate this year.

The county's Republican Executive Committee met to decide who to endorse Thursday. Members chose Jack Martins, former state senator and mayor of Mineola.

"Great candidate," Legislator Dennis Dunne said of Martins. "I think we're going to kick some butt with him."

Dunne is part of a group of GOP legislators who called on the current county executive, Republican Ed Mangano, to resign earlier this month.

Mangano is serving his second term and also facing federal corruption charges -- so the party has decided to go in a different direction.

Martins was one of the first lawmakers to call on Mangano to resign, doing so just hours after the county executive was arrested. But he has not yet called on Mangano to drop out of the race.

A Mangano spokesperson says the current executive is still considering a run for re-election.

There are currently three candidates vying for the Democratic nomination: Legislator Laura Curran, Comptroller George Maragos and state Assemblyman Chuck Lavine.