New York Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado will challenge Gov. Kathy Hochul in the governor's race next year, becoming the first prominent Democrat to launch a primary challenge against his current boss.
Delgado’s announcement on Monday doesn’t come as a major surprise, as he revealed in February that he didn’t plan to run for reelection as lieutenant governor next year but would explore “all options.”
Hochul appointed Delgado to serve as her second-in-command in 2022 and the pair was elected to a full term later that year, but their relationship has frayed over time.
“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.”
Hochul, New York’s first female governor, who first took office following former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) resignation, appears somewhat vulnerable in a battle both for her party’s nomination and in a general election.
Her favorability rating has regularly been underwater and polls show many New Yorkers saying they would prefer another choice as governor in 2026.
A Siena College Poll from last month showed 55 percent said they wanted someone else, while only 36 percent said they prefer Hochul. Her favorability rating also dropped slightly after reaching net positive in April for the first time in over a year.
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) has also been considering a primary challenge to Hochul.
But any primary challenge to Hochul will still likely be an uphill battle.
The same poll showed Hochul well ahead in a hypothetical three-way Democratic primary matchup with 46 percent to Delgado’s 12 percent and Torres’s 10 percent. Hochul has also proven herself to be a strong fundraiser.
Delgado told the Times that he isn’t deterred by the polling, saying he hasn’t seen from Hochul “decisive leadership that is clear-eyed.”
His campaign launch video includes a clip of him saying that he grew up in a middle-class family during a time when children expected to have more opportunities than their parents, but that isn’t the case now.
“It’s love of family. It’s love of community. It’s love of state. It’s love of country. And I’m dedicated to that. That’s why I’m running for governor of New York,” Delgado said.
He said in the video that the state needs “bold” leadership and a vision for affordable housing, universal health care and universal pre-K. He also called for standing up to President Trump’s “attack” on the state.
“The powerful and well-connected have their champions. I’m running for governor to be yours,” he said.
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