Delgado ends primary challenge to Hochul in race for governor

ALBANY — Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado ended his primary campaign against Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday morning, clearing her path to the Democratic nomination as she pursues a second full term.

Delgado's campaign had aimed to mobilize the party's progressive wing against the more moderate governor. His exit frees Hochul to focus on the general election against likely Republican nominee Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman.

In a statement posted online, Delgado said he does not see a viable path forward. His decision to drop out comes after the state's Working Families Party decided not to endorse him or Hochul during its convention last week.

"Though my campaign has come to an end, I fully intend to do all I can in our effort to build a more humane, affordable and equitable state that serves all New Yorkers," Delgado said.

Delgado also thanked India Walton, the Buffalo socialist who had agreed just days ago to be his running mate.

Hochul said in a statement that the party is unified against Blakeman and President Donald Trump.

"Donald Trump and Bruce Blakeman are united in their efforts to raise costs on working families, send masked ICE agents into our streets to terrorize innocent communities and wage war on New York kids," Hochul said. "Our party is now just as united to stop them."

Hochul took 85% of delegates' votes at the Democrats' convention last week in Syracuse, while Delgado got just under 15%. Falling short of the 25% necessary to get a spot on the ballot meant he would have needed to gather 15,000 signatures to qualify.

Hochul chose Delgado, a former congressman, to serve as her second-in-command after her first lieutenant governor, Brian Benjamin, resigned in 2022 after federal prosecutors charged him with bribery and fraud. Benjamin’s case never went to trial, and the case was dropped last year after a key witness died.

A rift between Hochul and Delgado began to surface in 2024. Delgado called for Democratic President Joe Biden to end his campaign after Biden’s poor performance in a debate, while Hochul remained supportive and said she disagreed with Delgado.

After Trump won the election, Delgado wrote an essay that was highly critical of the Democratic Party.

Last February, Delgado said he wasn’t interested in running for lieutenant governor again and began traveling the state, teasing a primary challenge against his boss. Delgado made the breakup official in June with his own candidacy for governor, calling for more progressive, transformational leadership in the state.

That campaign never gained momentum. The latest Siena Research Institute poll, released days before the state Democratic convention last week, found Hochul led Delgado by more than 50 points among registered Democrats.

Delgado’s hopes were further dimmed when Hochul received endorsements from prominent elected leaders to her left, including U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.