Hochul lieutenant Antonio Delgado to run against New York governor in 2026 Democratic primary – Washington Examiner
New York’s Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado has announced his candidacy for the 2026 Democratic primary, aiming to unseat Governor Kathy Hochul, his current boss. Their relationship has deteriorated since thay ran together in 2022, leading to public disputes and Delgado’s criticisms of Hochul’s leadership. In an interview, Delgado expressed that New Yorkers deserve better leadership and accused Hochul of lacking vision and decisiveness. His campaign focuses on issues such as housing, healthcare, and economic possibility, while also subtly criticizing hochul without mentioning her by name. Despite being viewed as a rising star in the Democratic party, he faces important challenges, including a Siena College poll indicating he would lose to Hochul in a primary matchup. Tensions escalated when Hochul stripped Delgado of his state resources in response to his hints of a primary challenge.
Hochul lieutenant Antonio Delgado to run against New York governor in 2026 Democratic primary
Gov. Kathy Hochul‘s (D-NY) lieutenant governor, Antonio Delgado, is running to unseat his boss in the 2026 Democratic gubernatorial primary.
The duo’s relationship has tanked since they ran together in 2022, with the two publicly exchanging barbs for months and Delgado undercutting her leadership. The lieutenant governor took the feud to the next step on Monday, announcing his run to unseat her in next year’s primary.
“People are hurting and New York deserves better leadership,” Delgado told the New York Times in an interview. “There’s an absence of bold, decisive, transformational leadership.”
Delgado’s launch video is a testament to the changing political landscape. Social issues such as gay or transgender issues were entirely absent, with Delgado devoting his pitch to housing policy, child care, healthcare, economic opportunity, opposition to President Donald Trump, and the rule of law.
He also implicitly bashed his boss without mentioning her by name, saying New Yorkers deserved a governor with a vision to improve their lives. The lieutenant governor was more explicit in the interview with the New York Times.
“I haven’t seen a vision,” Delgado said of Hochul. “I haven’t seen a decisive leadership that is clear-eyed.”
Though Delgado said his relationship with Hochul began to sour just months after the 2022 election, tensions came out into the open over the summer of last year, when he broke with Hochul’s support for then-President Joe Biden by asking him to drop out after a poor June debate performance. In February, he broke with Hochul again in calling on New York Mayor Eric Adams to resign, prompting his boss to release a statement saying he “does not now and has not ever spoken on behalf of this administration.”
NEW YORK LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR NOT SEEKING REELECTION AFTER PUBLIC SPATS WITH KATHY HOCHUL
After Delgado hinted at a primary challenge in late February, Hochul confiscated his state-issued electronic devices, took away much of his staff, and stripped him of his office space in New York City and the Hudson Valley.
Though the lieutenant governor is viewed as a rising Democratic star, his perceived disloyalty to Hochul and low profile make his primary challenge an uphill battle. A Siena College poll last month found that if the primary were held now, he would lose to Hochul 46% to 12%.
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